Fighting the Elements - An Avengers WWYFF
by MistressBoleyna
Summary: A WWYFF I previously published on Quizilla.
1. Chapter 1

You knew you had made the right decision but you didn't know exactly what you were doing. After seeing what had happened last year in New York and the heroics of the group they called the Avengers, you couldn't get away from the feeling that this is what you had to do. Walking through the large New York airport terminal, You felt as lost and lonely as you ever had in your life. You had always been different, had always hidden your physical and unseen differences. Your mother was the only person who knew about your "powers", but that didn't mean she liked to talk about them. So you had spent you're life staying in the background, figuring everything out yourself. Now you were in one of the most populated cities in the world to see one of the richest men in the world.

For the life of you, you couldn't figure out how to actually get in contact with S.H.I.E.L.D., what with it being a government run spy agency. So you figured you'd contact the next best option, Tony Stark. Figuring this man would most likely be wary of someone just up and wanting to meet claiming to have special powers, you assumed telling him what you wanted right off the bat wasn't the best choice. So you called Stark Industries ahead of time and ended up speaking with his assistant, Pepper Potts instead. Claiming to be a journalist from some internet magazine, you were able to talk her into giving you an appointment. It wasn't a complete lie, you had written a few published articles while attending university. Then you had spent all your money on travelling here, if this meeting didn't go well, you were pretty screwed.

You finally managed to hail a cab in the busy New York streets, and checking your watch, you realized you were most likely going to be late. Finally, you reached Stark Tower and you scrambled out of the cab with your small duffel bag containing your minimal possessions, your purse hanging over your shoulder, and marvelled up at the new repaired structure. Snapping yourself out of your wonderment, you made your way to the entrance. After showing your ID and getting past security, you were sent to one of the top floors for your meeting. Ms. Potts met you as you exited the elevator much to your relief and led you along the halls to Mr. Stark's office. She knocked and informed Stark of your arrival, leaving you to your meeting.

"Miss. - is it? I understand you're writing an article about yours truly." An arrogant smirk crossed his face and you were just glad he was being polite.

"Sorry, I'm late." You said, catching my breath from hurrying to the meeting.

"Not a problem...Please have a seat." He motioned to the chair across from his desk and you accepted

the invitation, tucking your duffel under the seat. "You planning a trip?" He said noticing you're luggage.

"Well, actually, this is the trip." He raised a quizzical brow. "Mr. Stark, I don't mean to alarm you and I hope you aren't insulted, but I may have a told a little fib."

"It depends, what's is this little white lie you've told?" He leaned back in his chair, you were nervous but relieved that he didn't appear to be angry.

"I'm not writing an article..." You waited for a response but he only stared, seemingly unfazed. "I don't exactly know how to say this, but well you're Iron Man and you saved New York, the world even." He smirked again, pride shading his features. "And, well, I...uh...I think I can help, should similar events occur again."

Finally, he seemed somewhat confused by what you were telling him. "No offense, Miss -, I appreciate your ambition and concern, but I can't just make you an Avenger."

"No-I, well, I was trying to contact S.H.I.E.L.D., but it's not exactly listed in the yellow pages, I'm not asking to be an Avenger, I was only hoping that for once I could put my skills to good use."

"Skills."

"Um, skills—or abilities, I've never known how to explain this-" You struggled to formulate something coherent. "Maybe, I could show you?"

"Show me? I never deny a show from a young lady like yourself." He responded smoothly, you almost rolled your eyes at his forwardness.

"Alright..." You stood nervously and closed your eyes gathering your thoughts before opening them again. "Um, pick an object." He stared at you for a moment before responding.

"How about this?" He pointed to a paper weight to his left and you nodded before starting.

Before Stark could even say anything sarcastic, his paper weight was flying around the room and as he stared in wonder, you sped up its course around and around before setting it down where it first laid. A silence came over him which you could already guess was not normal for this arrogant man.

"That's a neat trick you got." He said finally, as you resumed your seat.

"Thank you...but it's not the only trick I have up my sleeve, not to sound cocky." You added.

"Not at all, my trick is a suit and my devilish good looks, yours is...that." He chuckled at this, you cracked a small smile at his joke.

"So... Do you think you could get me to S.H.I.E.L.D.?" You asked sheepishly.

"I think Fury would kill me if I didn't, I just need to make a few phone calls." He pushed a button on his phone, calling in Ms. Potts first. "Pepper, keep Miss - entertained for the next hour and then show her to the helipad." He gave a small farewell before you were led out. Miss Potts showed you around briefly before leaving you in a sort of waiting room with a television


	2. Chapter 2

Finally Miss. Potts returned and led you to the helipad where Stark was already there and helped you inside the helicopter. You sat across from him as he gave his instructions to the pilot and finally relaxed himself, looking at his watch.

"We should get to S.H.I.E.L.D. in no time, Fury is anxious to meet although he may not seem to be, it's just the way he is. He's also called the others to assemble, if we can use your abilities, he's gonna make sure they are used properly."

"Oh, the others?"

"The Avengers."

"Wow...that seems a little much." You said, nervous at the prospect of having to reveal your power to even more people.

You knew what you were doing when you flew to NY, but now it was happening all at once and you weren't sure you could handle it. You stayed silent for the rest of the ride trying to calm your nerves and finally got a hold of yourself as you realized you were at your destination, a large air lifted carrier appeared before you all at once and the helicopter landed safely on one of its many landing pads. You grabbed your duffel once again and Stark assisted you in exiting the helicopter without losing your balance.

Inside, the helicarrier was a maze in itself and you let yourself be led by Stark until you reached a large room filled with people on computers; no doubt the base and control centre of the huge machine. As you entered, Stark led you over to a tall man with an eye patch who looked like he hadn't smiled in ages, maybe even his whole life.

"Fury, this is -, - Director Nick Fury."

"So, you think you can help S.H.I.E.L.D?" He said skeptically.

"I hope that I can." You offered.

"Don't be too rough on her, Fury, she doesn't look like it, but she's exactly what we need." He winked at you and you were glad he was standing up for you.

"First, we'll need to see what she can do, then I'll make a decision. The others are already in the conference room, we'll meet in the training gymnasium in fifteen minutes." Fury ordered curtly before turning on his heels and checking in with the controllers working all around him.

"Sorry about that." Stark said as you began down yet another endless hallway. "He's always like that, I'm sure the others will be much more pleasant."

"It's alright, Mr. Stark, I know I'm not here to make friends." You said, reassuring yourself more than him.

"Maybe not, but it doesn't mean you won't." He smiled down at me. "And please, call me Tony."

"Only if you call me -." You said slyly.

As you walked into the conference room with Tony at your side, you were almost starstruck to see all the Avengers in one room but then you reminded yourself you weren't here to get autographs.

"It's so nice so you all again." Tony announced as you entered, "Even you, Spangles." The man with the short blonde hair looked almost perturbed at this remark. "Tony." He said shortly.

"Is that the new one?" The woman with the short red hair asked, Black Widow if you weren't mistaken.

"Yes, she's the new one."

"And I have a name, -". You introduced yourself, not wanting to seem like the rookie these people thought you were.

"Oh yeah, sorry. -, allow me to introduce your new colleagues, well potentially." Tony said excitedly as he began the rounds. "This man in the leather jacket with that innocent twinkle in his eyes is Steve Rodgers, aka Captain America, aka Spangles, aka Capsicle."

"I think she's got the idea, Tony." Steve said, exasperated as Tony chuckled.

"And this wonderful women with the not the not-so-innoccent twinkle in her eyes is Natasha Romanov, aka Black Widow." He motioned towards the woman who had previously spoken who simply nodded in greeting., "And this handsome demi-god with the chiseled jaw line, who I am surprised made it here on such short notice, is Thor, aka Prince of Asgard, aka Shakespeare." The big man was the only one laughing at his own introduction. "It is as he says, Fair Maiden." He continued to chuckle.

"And this man with the endearing scowl is Clint Barton, a resident archer, aka Hawkeye, aka Legolas."

"Hawkeye is just fine."

"And this adorable little doctor with the heart of gold is Bruce Banner, aka Hulk, which I'd only call him if you're prepared to deal with the other guy, aka Dr. Jeckyll." Bruce gave him a sideways look before replying. "It's nice to meet you, -".

"You too, all of you." You tried your best to sound sincere.

"Why exactly is she here, though?" Barton asked.

"Fury didn't say anything."

"You know he never comes right out with it." Natasha voiced.

"Well, maybe she should just show you, Fury's waiting at training."

They all rose, almost simultaneously, to their feet and Tony led you out of the door as the others followed amidst their own conversations. Walking down the hall with this group of super heroes, you felt completely out of your element, especially considering at five foot you were small compared to normal people, but this was a whole other level of being dwarfed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Just in here, -." Tony stopped, as a large door opened in front of you. "We'll be watching from the box," He motioned up to a booth just over head and you stepped inside the large room with walls of metal and mats on the floor, "Good luck." Tony smirked as the door shut you in by yourself.

You waited silently below, not moving but felt at ease once you saw the others appear in the sky box above, Fury standing at the forefront began to speak.

"Okay, Miss. -, why don't you show us why you're here."

The gymnasium was even quieter than before as you tried to figure out exactly how to start.

"Try the dummy." Tony spoke over the mic and a dummy emerged from an opening in the wall. Taking the hint, you were focused in a minute and the dummy was on the floor just as quickly. Looking up, you knew this was only the beginning if you wanted to impress these people, but despite working for years on your control, showing others was nothing you had even prepared for. You turned your eyes back to the dummy and it exploded into a dust and you kept yourself from smiling. You looked up and the looks on the others' faces gave you the encouragement to fully commit.

"Impressive." Fury said flatly.

"There's more..." You said, trying not to sound overconfident.

"Do you need another dummy?" Bruce offered.

"Not for this. But some water would be nice."

You took a breath before you continued, a small metal tub of water began to lower into the center of the room. "First." You said more to yourself. You brought your hand up in front of you, steadying your breathing and your mind. You watched as felt the familiar surge within you and in front of you a vortex appeared, a cyclone growing and growing the more you concentrated and when it was almost too big to hear over its roar you closed in on the tub directing it ahead of you. You stopped and the water from the tub rose in the air, attaching itself at once to the cyclone and soon you were conducting a full blown hurricane and another cyclone appeared beside you, and another, and another until you were soaked, the water was multiplying under your control and the room had become a darkened storm. As you looked around, you built up your energy for the finale and the hardest part. The water around you began to boil, and soon became a tornado of steam until finally you pushed and all that once was liquid burst into flame and you were swept up in the inferno around you. The fires burned an eerie white, not the usual yellow and the heat as always, didn't even touch you, you had learned years ago how to protect yourself while performing. Finally, you decided that this was as much as you could do to convince these people of your worth, and slowly the white flamed melted into water and that water returned to its original container, becoming stagnant once more. You looked around at the blackened metal and were almost concerned at the damage you hadn't realized you had done.

"Bravo!" Tony said over the mic, and you brought your attention back to the booth and you made a small humble bow as the others only stared, even Thor the demi-god, looked impressed and Fury looked nearly content.

"Well, I can't argue with that, Miss -." Fury relented, and turned on his heel saying words you couldn't hear to the others before leaving the booth.

"Come on up." Tony invited over the speaker and the large metal door opened once more. You found your way easily enough to the booth with the help of some very obvious signage and entered to a round of applause, you felt almost bashful at their response. All your life you had been afraid that once your power was revealed, you would be labelled a monster or worse.

"You weren't lying when you said you had some tricks up your sleeve." Tony said.

"This Midguardian is not so dull after all." Thor smacked you on the back in congratulations and you struggled to keep your balance.

"How have we never heard of your powers before?" Natasha inquired.

"Because...you're the first to know, other than my mother."

"You mean, you never told anyone..." Steve seemed shocked.

"Of course not." You tried to keep the emotion out of your voice.

"I can't blame you." Bruce voiced, a hint of sympathy behind it. "And I hate to push you, but I think maybe I should run a few medical tests."

"Not pushy at all." You reassured him. "Although, my mother sent me for dozen catscans, mri's, needles and other tests which told us nothing."

"Not to worry, I have more complex tests to run."

"Um, okay."

The tests Bruce performed seemed perfectly normal, nothing out of the ordinary and you were finished a lot sooner than you thought, although it had been a long day. After you finished, Bruce brought you back to the conference room where the others had returned to and you had no idea what to do now. You followed Bruce to the table and sat silently between him and Thor, listening to the conversation around you.

"So, -, do you have any combat training?" Natasha asked, breaking your stream of thought.

"Some," You said meekly.

"What exactly is some?"

"Seven years of jujitsu and kick boxing."

"Seven years? That seems a lot for a civilian." Steve joined in.

"Yeah, well, my mom wanted me to get into dance or volleyball, something to keep me occupied, but I couldn't concentrate on it. I ended up sneaking to the local gym instead and I spent most of my time there. It was fast enough to keep me focused and I felt like I could control myself with it."

"I can totally understand that." Natasha said, sounding more friendly than before. "I can't wait to see what you can do." You grinned back at her, not knowing what to say.

"What is this volleyball you speak of?" Thor boomed, seemingly just processing the conversation, you almost laughed at his question.

"It's a game where you hit a ball over a net with your hands." you tried to explain as clearly as possible.

"Oh?" He sounded confused.

"Don't worry, I'll show you sometime." You offered. "Although, I'm not very good." He smiled a this. "What do we do now?" You finally asked as the conversation was dying out.

"Well, Fury says he has no mission for us right now so we return home...except you must stay behind, for more testing and S.H.I.E.L.D. debriefing." Tony replied, sounded almost sorry, "But you'll be free to go after that, plus Tasha and Clint are agents so they'll be here when they're not on missions, of course."

"Oh," You tried not to sound disappointed, You didn't know what you were gonna do after training, You had left everything behind and if you had nothing to do here, you were probably going to end up on the streets.

"It's too late for us to leave now though." Steve added, "So no goodbyes until tomorrow." He tried to comfort you with this.

"Except Thor, he is a Prince." Tony added. "And I'll check in on you, I can't just leave you here with Fury."

Feeling slightly more confident after the conversation, you were all shown to sleeping quarters and Thor said goodbye to the whole group before disappearing in a shower of thunder. You lied on your cot, exhausted, processing what had happened that, how it had happened so quickly and fell into a deep slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning you awoke, feeling as though you had slept for days. The vivid dreams you had awoken from faded quickly, and all you could recall was an unfamiliar voice telling you things you could not understand. Shaking it off, you crossed to the small washroom provided and popped in your plain brown contacts before tying your hair into a typical tight bun. Checking your reflection quickly, you made your way to the mess hall you had been shown to the previous night. It was like any cafeteria, everything was made of hard metal; chairs, tables, trays. It was almost empty except for one table where Tony, Natasha, and Clint already sat. You grabbed a carrot muffin and some toast and jam before joining them, soon followed by Steve and Bruce.

"Are you going to miss home?" Steve asked, a tinge of pity behind his gentle voice.

"I suppose you always miss home." You spread the strawberry jam across your toast. "But it's been a while since I've had a home." You blurted out absent-mindedly.

"Me too." He agreed, and you remembered who he was and how long his own home had been gone. You gave him an understanding smile and bit into your toast. As you ate, you caught Bruce giving you odd looks, like he knew something or wanted to ask you something but you shrugged it off finishing your muffin.

Breakfast ended to quickly and you followed the others to the deck as they all prepared to leave and as you stood between Clint and Natasha as the others said goodbye and waited for their ride back to the ground. Finally, a helicopter arrived with the Stark Industries logo on it and Steve, Bruce, and Tony made to leave but before they could even take one step, the sky began to roar with thunder.

"Crap...you think it's the big guy come back?" Tony asked, motioning for the pilot to shut down the helicopter. As the helicopter powered down, you all waited trying to determine if it was just an untimely storm or Thor making a surprise visit. Your anxieties were answered when Thor crashed down onto the deck, looking much more dishevelled since last night, and you all looked at each other in confusion.

"What is it, Shakespeare, you forget something?"

"Tony, this doesn't seem like just any visit." Bruce spoke up.

Thor looked angry as he picked up Mjolnir, his hammer, where it had landed beside him on his arrival and straightened up.

"What is it, Thor?" Steve said, all concern.

"I think it's obvious." Tony interjected, finally sounding serious.

"Loki." Thor boomed, his voice laced with rage. "He is gone from Asgard."

The others looked alarmed and seeing as the news had always been quite vague on this whole Loki character and how he was connected to the attacks in NY, you stayed silent.

"How did that happen?" Banner sounded panicked.

"I know not the details of my brother's tricks, all I know is that he killed four of his guards and his cell is completely destroyed." Thor struggled to contain his anger.

"Well, I guess that means we do have a mission after all." Steve intoned, the others nodding in silent agreement.

You were all once again seated around the table in the conference room but this time Fury was fuming at the head of it, first giving Thor a piece of mind and secondly ordering the lot of you to get your act together. He gave his orders to the whole group to be on duty at all times and to make sure that they keep an eye on you so that you can join in as soon as possible. Fury left with a slam of the door and the seven of you just sat in silence, absorbing your new mission and recovering as well.

"So...Can someone explain to me what exactly is happening?" You broke the silence.

"Oh, yeah..." Bruce spoke first.

"Well, Loki is Shakespeare's brother, his own Christopher Marlowe if you will." You almost chuckled at the unexpected history reference but kept silent. "Loki was behind what happened in NY last year and he's been in a holding cell since."

"Oh, was it because Thor left?" You asked, thinking maybe it was your fault.

"Not at all, little Midguardian," Thor sound much calmer than earlier, "I have left Asgard many times since my brother's imprisonment and he has not escaped, although he has tried. This was planned whether or not I was present." He reassured you and you breathed out relieved.

"It doesn't matter how he got out, it only matters how we get him back in." Clint said grimly.

"Which means we need to get you into training as soon as possible." Natasha added.

"Of course." You agreed.

"Not that we don't have faith in you." Steve Rodgers said. "But you're going to have to push yourself."

"And..." Bruce voice hesitantly before continuing. "You're going to have to tell us everything, we have to be able to trust you out in battle."

He stared at you and you almost didn't realize what he was hinting at but it hit you fast. It made you nervous, it was something your mother had made you hide your whole life although you had never really wanted to. You just sort of got into the habit and it had eventually caused you to be anxious at just the thought of showing anyone your true colours...literally. You sat silently for a moment building yourself up as the other stared in confused silence, all no doubt suspicious at Bruce's statements. But before you took them off you had to ask.

"How did you know?"

"One of the scans showed them, although I am not sure exactly what you're hiding."

"Well, I guess it won't hurt anyone." You resigned and blinked a few times in mental preparation.

You put both fingers to your eye and in one practised notion and slipped the brown, slippery contacts out of your eyes and blinked even more as you adjusted to seeing the world without them. Everything seemed brighter and it almost shocked you, and you finally looked at the others and they only stared as you dropped the contacts onto the table.

"I, ugh, how do they look?" You honestly hadn't looked at your natural eye colour in years, you always faced away from the mirror when putting them in. The life long shame of your mother always present.

"They are beautiful." Steve uttered before colouring at realizing what he said.

"You mean, you don't know what they look like?" Natasha ask, astounded.

"I can't remember the last time I actually looked at them." You confessed. "I just know they aren't normal."

"Here." She pulled a mirror out of her purse and slid it across the table, you caught it swiftly but were unsure about looking.

"It's not that bad." Tony spoke up. "They are actually quite sexy, if I say so myself." This made you giggle and the others looked expectantly at you as you slowly raised the mirror. You looked in the mirror and new sense of confidence came over you as you realized that this was what you had always wanted, you had just forgotten. Your eyes seemed brighter than the last time you had looked at them, maybe when you were fourteen, just a girl unsure of who she was. The white of the iris was so white it was almost silver and the black outline around it plus the darker pupil, made it seem as if it was shining. You smiled and closed the mirror not wanting to seem vain and slid it back to Natasha.

"Thanks." You smiled at her.

"I have seen no such eyes in Asgard." Thor finally said.

"Or in Midgard." Bruce added. "The colour of your eyes is-sorry, unnatural." You were almost embarrassed of the constant stares. "Were they always that colour?" He sounded genuinely curious.

"No..." You remembered that first morning when you looked in the mirror and a sliver of white slashed through your natural brown. "It started when I was ten years old, after..."

"After what?" Natasha could tell you were struggling.

"I died." You said as strongly as you could and the others looked disbelieving, so you continued. "I developed cancer in my kidney when I was ten and the doctors could only prevent it spreading by removing it, but when I was in surgery, my heart stopped and I was pronounced dead on the table. The doctors said I was dead for three whole minutes. They had almost given up reviving me when I woke up on my own and they successfully finished the surgery." You subconsciously touched your left side. "From then on I felt there was something else going on and soon after realized my...abilities. Although my eyes didn't change until I was fourteen."

"You actually died?" Clint asked in shock.

"So they tell me."

"Aha!" Tony proclaimed, a bit to loud. "I've got your nickname."

"Nickname?" You were confused.

"It's kind of Tony's thing." Steve said, obviously resentful of Spangles and Capsicle.

"Okay, what is it?" You said hesitantly.

"Zombie." Everyone stared at Tony.

"Zombie? Really."

"Well, you did return from the dead and I still can't be sure you don't bite." He winked at you and you rolled your eyes, not believing that when you first met him you were so intimidated.

"Well I think -suits you just fine." Said Steve, giving you a sweet smile, you returned it.

"What does zombie mean?" Thor seemed completely lost.

"A zombie is a creature that returns from the dead, although they usually eat other people." Clint explained.

"Eat other people?" Thor seemed repulsed.

"I don't eat people, though." You reassured him, a hand on his shoulder and he smiled.

At this, you heard a phone ring and Tony answered it having a brief conversation on the phone, hanging up with a smile on his face.

"What's going on?" Steve asked suspiciously.

"I forgot to send the copter home."

"And?" Natasha said.

"And who wants to stay on this helicarrier with its uncomfortable beds and bland flavourless food when I have everything we need at Stark Tower." A light shined behind his eyes and you almost laughed at how much of a child he seemed.

"You cannot be serious?" Bruce added.  
>"Oh I'm dead serious, no pun intended." He turned to you.<p>

"If it had been intended, I'd want to die again." You joked back.

"Fury will never-" Natasha started.

"Fury owes me...a lot more than you know, plus it's all very logical. The last time we stayed here his carrier was half destroyed and he's never let that go. My tower faced similar dangers, but I have no qualms with repairing it again." He stood with a jump in his step and left before any one else could protest. You looked at the other, a mixture of excitement and reluctance.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony never told anyone how he convinced Fury to let the seven of you leave the carrier and before you new it, you were back at Stark Towers, this time on the topmost floors. It was luxuriously decorated and you were almost flabbergasted by the view out the living room window. The whole living area was a thing of beauty and you were even more pleased with the room you were staying in. A stark contrast to the skinny cot and small space provided on the helicarrier. The bed was a double at least and the blankets were the softest you had ever felt. The dresser of rich mahogany had way more space than your limited clothes could fit and their was a gorgeous loveseat and tall antique bookcase to match. The joined bathroom was also too much, a large bath tub and a separate spacious shower, the toilet even looked fancy.

After getting unpacked, you felt suddenly ready for anything and a confidence came over you which you hadn't felt since before your surgery. You and your mother were always close, even with your other siblings around, but after the surgery, you still loved her and knew she still loved you, but there was something missing. You never felt accepted and you couldn't blame her; she almost lost you and the powers were something even you struggled with. You realized now, it was because she knew she couldn't help you, but these people could. You liked this new surge of energy and changed into your only pair of exercise clothes; some black yoga pants with white stripes down the side and a lavender halter exercise shirt over a plain black sports bra. You readjusted your hair into a pony tail and left excitedly through the marvellous wooden door. You skipped down the hall in your new found happiness but almost knocked yourself over in your collision with another person.

"Holy cheese and crackers." You exclaimed as you stumbled back before catching your balance. "I should look where I'm going." You corrected yourself.

"Or where you skip." Tony offered, he smirked his trademark smirk.

"Or that." You agreed.

"Where are you headed, Zombie?"

"To get Natasha, we're going to train til our eyes bleed." You said maybe too enthusiastic.

"Pretty eyes like yours shouldn't be bleeding." His hand went to your shoulder and you suddenly felt a heat between the two of you.

"It's an expression, although I'll make sure to come get you if they do start bleeding." He seemed to get closer, but you stopped him with a hand on his chest. "Anyways, I was skipping to somewhere in particular and I'd hate to disappoint. See ya later, Mr. Roboto." You decided a nick name may be due.

"Mr. Roboto?" He said to himself as you skipped past him and down the hall.

"Natash-i-a, my dear sweet love." You didn't know what it was, but you felt like you could do anything now. The last time you had truly been yourself was so long ago, you hadn't realized you could be such a weird person. The door opened as you prepared to knock on it again.

"-, what's gotten into you?"

"Oh, I don't know, I drank a soda for the first time in six years and I think, I've actually got friends...who maybe want to spar with me?" You asked anxiously.

"Of course, I'll just get changed." She invited you in and changed as you hummed an old Frank Sinatra song you liked.

Finally you were on your way to the training room with Natasha, as she gave you a tour along the way.

"Have you really not drank soda in six years?" She asked.

"Yeah, I stopped drinking it because, well, I don't know, I just fell out of love with it. That sounds like I was romantic with it but really-I'm rambling." You stopped yourself as you entered the large training room, almost identical to the one on the carrier.

"Okay, let's do this." Natasha got into her best stance and you followed her lead.

"Wait!" You said, noticing something behind her on the wall. You crossed over and opened the metal box to reveal a sort of control pad. You fiddled with it until you found what you were looking for and hit play as Journey began to blast over the speakers.

"Are you serious with this?" Natasha tried not to laugh.

"I only want to make this seem real and Journey is as real as it gets." You joked and you began your sparring match. Every shot you threw was matched by her, as was every block, the both of you struggling for some sort of advantage. Yet, every time the balance shifted the other one evened it out. Finally, you ended your session, the both of you laying on the ground, heaving and laughing, Duran Duran having replaced Journey.

"What is this, the worst of the eighties?" She snarked.

"Well, actually-" The music cut of before you could finish and a computerized voice interrupted.

"Agent Romanov, -, the Avengers have gathered in the dining room for dinner."

"Thank you, Jarvis." Natasha said, pushing herself to her feet.

"Who's Jarvis?"

"Tony's virtual assistant." She helped you up and the both of you tried to wipe the sweat from your body with the fluffy white towels waiting for you.

"Oh, that's so cool, I had an imaginary friend named Horatio when I was kid, but that is just on a whole other level."

"Wow, I didn't expect this from the girl I met on the helicarrier."

"Well...I didn't think I'd be hanging with THE Black Widow." You joked. "But really, I just have never felt so...useful."

You entered the dining room to the sound of the five men conversing and almost went unnoticed as you found a seat. However, you had to separate as the men decided to sit wherever they pleased. Natasha snagged a seat between Clint and Thor, who was shovelling food into his mouth and you were left between Tony and Steve. You noticed as you started to gather food on your plate from the take out containers piled in the centre of the table that Natasha and Clint had some sort of special connection, you could always see that in people. They almost glowed from it.

"So, you look rather hot and sweaty." Tony distracted you from your observation and you turned back to him. "It's too bad I missed the show."

"Well, you could join in next time but I don't want to hurt you." You threw back, getting a chuckle in return. You took a bite of your food before deciding Steve was being too silent.

"Hey, Steve-O." You said cheerily, "Why so serious?"

Before Steve could respond Tony piped up, "Quoting the Joker and giving him a new nick name, I'm impressed."

"Oh no." You realized you just gave Tony more ammo. "Sorry."

"It's fine, you can call me whatever you want." He said this and coloured so quickly you wanted to hug him.

"That's not fair, you hate when I call you Spangles." Tony interjected again.

"It doesn't keep you from calling me that."

"Hey, C3PO, why don't you finish your pasta before you force Steve to dump it over your head?" You kidded.

"C3PO?! How are you doing this?!" Tony cried out in mock insult.

You laughed and turned back to Steve. "Sorry about that." You said.

"Don't worry, I've gotten use to it, but...what does C3PO mean?"

"He's an android from Star Wars."

"Star Wars?" The look on Steve's face was priceless.

"It's a movie from the 70's...Don't worry about it."

"Sometimes I feel so lost." Steve said more to himself than to you.

"Me too...but other people can help you find the way." You rubbed his shoulder reassuringly and he perked up.

You talked to Steve for the rest of dinner with a few words to the others but you were content with listening to Steve talk about his favourite films from the 30s and 40s. You were surprised at how many you had actually seen and when you mentioned Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, he seemed almost giddy that you knew who they were. To be honest, their movies had gotten you through a lot, you could lose yourself in Fred's rhythmic tapping and Ginger's flowing gowns. After dinner, everyone parted to try to get some sleep; tomorrow training was supposed to be much more intense.


	6. Chapter 6

You were awoken by Jarvis too early and you dragged yourself into the shower, realizing that taking one last night would have been a lot easier. Again you tried to recall your dreams but all that remained was the echoed voice you couldn't understand. You let the water warm you through and then pulled on the exercise clothes which still smelled of sweat. You sprayed yourself with a sweet smelling cherry blossom body mist and made your way to the lab, where Bruce told you to meet him.

"Bruce?" You peaked around the door to find Bruce entrenched in whatever was hovering on the screen in front of him. He broke his gaze away and smiled at you.

"-, I've been waiting."

"Sorry, it took me a while to wake up." You said yawning.

"Not a problem," He seemed sincerely unconcerned. "Since we don't know where Loki is or when he will strike, we must dive in right away. So today, everyone will be training together against programmed dummies, except me of course..." He looked saddened at this.

"You can't control...him, can you?" You asked, sympathetically.

"No." He sounded ashamed.

"Don't beat yourself up like that, Bruce." You tried to comfort him. "I couldn't always control my...abilities." He gave you a curious look. "When I was twelve, I was being severely bullied at school and one morning I was humiliated by one of the girls in my class. The whole period, I thought about it and I couldn't concentrate on anything else. I kept staring at her, unable to control my shame and anger. As the bell rang for second, she stood up and screamed as nobody, not even me realized what was going on. Her pant leg was smoking and burst into flame the minute I thought to myself that she deserved it, but realizing the flames on her were white, that they were mine...I stopped myself and it died. She was fine, only minor burns but I never forgot the fear on her face and my own. I went home sick before third period and spent the rest of the day crying...it's the reason I spent so much time hiding and trying to control it."

"I-never knew anyone who knew what it felt like." He said slowly.

"I could never imagine...I mean, I could harness mine but, you- You have the other guy within you for a reason, even if you don't believe that, one day you will find out why he is there." You hug him before pulling back in realization. "Okay, well, shouldn't we get going?"

"I didn't ask you here for nothing, I worked on this last night. I hope it fits." He hands you a folded suit and you unfolded it before you, admiring the shiny, dark blue body suit.

"It's fireproof and water proof, insulated to keep you warm or cold depending on the necessity. Also," He turned and presented something else, "I figured matching gloves were only logical, and boots that will keep you grounded" He handed you the rest of your suit, adding even more; a utility belt with a guns and some knives you found amongst the weapons he presented.

"I can use a gun, although I can always use practice, but these knives..." You admired them, "I was kind of obsessed with action movies and wasn't exactly the most practical teenager." You remembered how you used to throw butter knives at trees pretending you were in some kung foo movie.

The rest of the team waited in the training room all suited up and you felt so sleek in your new suit, albeit a little self conscious. It wasn't as tight as Natasha's but it was still pretty figure fitting.

"Looking good, Zombie." Tony commented as you stood waiting beside Natasha.

"Looking...robotic, Tin Man."

A laugh came from the other side of you and you turned to a chuckling Steve, the others stared at him as well. "I actually got that reference." He said proudly, laughter still coming to him.

"Ridiculous." You muttered as you laughed yourself.

Bruce appeared overhead in the control booth and informed you all of the impending session and all at once it began. Dummies flew from all angles and the others were immediately at work. Thor was smashing dummies with his giant hammer and you dodged as he knocked one your way. Natasha was moving so fast, you could barely keep track of her. Tony, now fully Iron Manned up, was dispelling dummies entering from the ceiling. Steve Rodgers, bright in his stripes and stars, was fending off enclosing dummies with his shield as more fell from above with arrows through them. As more and more dummies came out, some shooting pellets in all directions, you finally clued in and focused on participating. Dodging more dummies and the occasional pellet, you began to dismantle the dummies around you and soon with every punch a flames engulfed its lifeless opponent while a cyclone formed around and brought more dummies around you while also ripping them to pieces. Now enthralled in your own work you began to take down dummies all around while consciously reminding yourself to control the cyclone so that none of your allies were sucked in. Less and less dummies were coming and so you let the cyclone die down and fought with only your flames and seeing a dummy coming right for a distracted Steve, you grabbed one of your knives, which you whipped across the room into the dummy. It carried your white flames with it and began to burn completely. Realizing your save, Steve nodded in thanks and took out the last dummy in front of him as Bruce sounded the sessions finish. Looking at the clock you realized that the session was a lot longer than you had thought. Almost four hours.

The others were breathing heavily like you and you all shared a look of exhaustion as you relaxed. Steve came over to you, his shield across his shoulder, still catching his breath. "I owe you a thank you." He wiped sweat from his brow as you caught your own breath. "Don't worry, that's what we're training for right." He smiled at you bashfully and you returned it before Thor caught you off-guard, wrapping his arm around your shoulder.

"I am the God of Thunder, mortal, yet fear you may rival me soon." You could not believe a god was complimenting you.

"Thanks." You said as he led you our of the gymnasium.

"I could eat a horse," he boomed.

"You could always eat a horse." Clint said from behind and Thor turned back.

"Fine, two horses." Thor laughed loudly.

"I may eat three then, I'm famished." You added, "But, I think maybe I should change into something less..." You could feel sweat trickling down your back, "Well, exercised." You couldn't think of a better way to say it.

"Yeah, I hate eating in the suit." Tony joined your little huddle.

"Well, meeting adjourned, we'll meet back in the kitchen and I'll cook!" You felt tired, but the prospect of food was rejuvenating and you loved cooking.

"You cook? What can't you do?" Tony raised his eye brow at you, flirty and all.

"Well, I can't juggle." You laughed. "And I can't stay in this suit any longer!" You took your gloves off, your hands rejoicing in their new unsweaty freedom and you made to step by the men. "Fifteen minutes." You said them, making sure Natasha heard you as she emerged from the gym and you bounded towards your room.


	7. Chapter 7

Emerging freshly showered with your hair in messy bun, wearing some old paint-blotched jeans you had since high school and an untucked floral blouse, you tried to remember the way to the kitchen. You heard the guys talking before you reached the kitchen and you decided this was a perfect opportunity. You tip toed to the very edge of the door frame and then jumped screaming into the kitchen as the guys shouted back in surprise. Natasha was holding her chest, Steve held onto the counter for support, Clint fell off the stool he had been leaning on, Bruce was laughing, Tony was cursing up a storm as the reactor in his chest shone brighter, and Thor was still screaming like a little girl.

"You call yourself a god?" You said, laughing at Thor the most. "My little sister can't even reach that pitch." The others got over their own fear and joined in as Thor tried to hide his embarrassment.

After thoroughly teasing each other for their reactions, the others decided to leave you to your work after you said you wanted it to be a surprise. Tony decided to stay to make sure you could find everything, although you were sure he never cooked in his life. As you had him chopping peppers and onions, you preheated the stove and fried up everything as he finished his duty. Then you instructed him in the assembly process and you had five trays of enchiladas cooking in the stove. As you watched and waited in the kitchen, always wary of burning them, Tony leaned against the counter beside you.

"Can't you just flash cook these with your super cool white fire?"

"I could, but they might turn out to be just ash." He leaned himself over until his shoulder rest on yours and looked down at you as you tried to concentrate on the time.

"You know, that was really cool today, the fire-cane, and the knife throwing of course. Who knew my little Zombie could kick so much ass?"

"Your little Zombie?" You looked at him and you could tell the direct intensity of your eyes surprised him.

"Well, I like to think that I discovered you."

"More like I gave myself to you-Wait, that's not how I wanted to say that."

"Freudian slip?" He turned to you, leaning closer and as he got near enough to smell, you finally cracked.

"Tony, dear." You said sweetly. "I was wondering..." You drew it out nice and suspenseful. "Would you..." His eyes travelled to your lips, "Set the table for me?"

He pulled back at once in shock. "What?"

"I need to take these enchiladas out and I can't do two things at once." You teased and he frowned before grabbing plates from a cupboard and exiting through the swinging door to the dining room. Tony entered once more to grab the utensils you set out for him to take as you cooled the enchiladas.

You entered the dining room happy at your creation but realizing you couldn't carry them all you pointed to Steve and Clint as you led them into the kitchen, Tony already waiting.

"I'll take one, Clint- one, Tony- one, and as thanks for my earlier heroics, you can take two Steve." You smiled innocently, Steve was a super soldier he could handle it, and the guys followed your orders taking the trays out carefully. You entered last and placed your tray beside the others. "Bon appetite!" You said in your best French accent, which was actually a very bad accent. Thor was the first to dig in as always, and the others all followed suit, nearly emptying the pans, not excluding yourself.

The conversation was lively but you found yourself still exhausted from the day and so you stayed pretty quiet while eating. Natasha was able to save seat for you and she kept telling you how good the food was but how much she was going to have to work out tomorrow. You laughed to yourself, not caring about your thighs. Finally everyone was full and Tony suggested everyone join him for a drink, although he only looked at you. In the living room, Tony worked the bar with expertise, handing you a whiskey despite your request for something less alcoholic. Steve and Bruce seemed deep in conversation, although Steve looked somewhat confused. Clint and Natasha looked too close to separate, and so you decided to join Thor as he clutched a whole bottle of whiskey in his hand.

"Hey, Thunder man, how's the vat of whiskey?"

"Much weaker than Asgardian ale, but pleasing nonetheless."

You sat beside him on the couch and as you sunk into the leather, you felt like a toddler sitting beside the giant Asgardian.

"I must say, Maiden -, that meal was much different from any Asgardian meal I have ever tasted."

"Thank you?"

"Very good, as good as what you Midgardians call Schwarma." He put his arm around your shoulders and hugged you to him. "You are a very brave woman, Lady -."

"Well, you're not to shabby yourself."

"An Asgardian woman would blush at such courage as yours." He looked into your eyes and you smiled at his comment. "And eyes any Asgardian man would fall for." You felt yourself blush slightly before catching yourself. As you tried to recover, you heard your name from across the room.

"-" Bruce called, Steve now at the bar arguing with Tony, you could hear him complaining about his Shirley Temple not being what it was suppose to be.

"Excuse me, Thor." You patted his chest before getting to your feet, crossing the room to sit in Steve's vacated one. "Yes, Bruce'y Boy."

"Oh, not you too." He rolled his eyes. "I was wondering how you liked your suit?"

"Well, I didn't get burned or wet so I'd say it's perfect."

"Great, I wouldn't want to see you hurt." His smile went from proud to affectionate.

"Naturally." You said graciously.

"Really, there's something inside of you that this world needs...a lot more than my other guy."

"Don't say that." You put your hand gently on his shoulder. "The other guy is just that, 'the other guy', you are Bruce Banner, not him." He smiled at this and you saw a hint of a tear in the corner of his eye, so you changed the conversation to a lighter subject.

The night went by quickly, drinks and conversation and you all soon retired to you own rooms a little bit later than Fury would have liked and you once again fell into a sleep of forgotten dreams and the voice you didn't know.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, although it felt like you only slept a few hours, you were awoken by someone bursting through your door and you rolled out of bed startled.

"What is going on!?" You shouted at Steve, and you noticed he was beet red and immediately looked at the ceiling. You looked down at your violet camisole and polka dot pajama shorts and almost blushed yourself but brushed it off; nothing important was showing.

"Sorry," Steve said to the ceiling. "Uh...we found Loki, we need to go now!"

"Oh! Oh my god! I got to get dressed." You jumped across your bed and pulled your suit from its hanger, before closing yourself in the washroom. You stripped and pulled the suit on, zipping it quickly up as you ran back out and strapped your boots up scrambling. Your belt clasped around your waist, you realized Steve was still waiting, already suited and you pulled your gloves on as you followed him out the door.

Up on the helipad, the others were arriving themselves and you all climbed into the jet like vehicle waiting for you. This was much sturdier than the helicopter and most likely more weaponized. You almost felt nervous but were able to calm yourself by looking at the others; you trusted these people and you hoped they trusted you too.

"He's in Washington." Fury debriefed you over Tony's suit's video phone. "He's taken over the Capitol, half the building is destroyed, although the evacuation was sounded soon enough for most of those within to escape. But Loki is still there and our own forces are futile against his. Avengers: go in there and take the target, dead or alive." At this you finally absorbed the depth of the situation, you glanced over to Thor who for once, looked worry. Recalling what Fury had said last, you felt for him, imagining how you felt if you were faced with being order to kill you sibling. You gave him a sympathetic look before focusing on what was ahead, so that you were ready at first contact.

The jet hovered above the Capitol and you made ready to land. Tony was already jumping out the door in his suit and Thor followed right after, as Clint, you, Natasha, Bruce, and Steve hooked yourself in to slide down the ropes onto the ground. As you leaned out the door and prepared to drop, you remembered Bruce had to wait until impact to let the other guy go and you got his attention before he could descend. You smiled over and mouthed a good luck before releasing yourself to gravity. The roped whistled as you sped towards the ground. Your feet touched the green grassed as you heard bullets zoom around you, although they didn't seem to be normal bullets. They sounded much faster and heavier. You spotted the others around you; Tony in the sky, Natasha to your right fighting side by side with Clint, Bruce had already become the Hulk, Thor was glorying in the midst of battle and Steve was doing what a super soldier is built to do.

You glanced ahead of you and seeing the enemy closing in, you did something you had only practice a few times before and focused on the particles around you. You stilled the air around you and tightened their atoms until a force field caused the creatures and bullets heading towards you back and you were able to run across the crumbling yard. You managed to haul yourself into a window while other creatures were repulsed by your shield and you landed inside with a thump. Releasing the field you threw back the last trailing creature and closed the window behind you. You ran ask quickly as you could to the door and looked out into the hall. Realizing that the fever of the battle was occurring outside, you were able to run right down the halls, only having to take down the occasional enemy. You had no idea where you were going but maybe if you could find a good vantage point, you could attack the enemy without hurting your allies.

You found a flight of stairs and hoped that it led somewhere useful and began to climb. You climb further and further until there were none left. Running into the adjoined halls you searched for some sort of entrance to the roof. You found an emergency exit and were able to climb enough furniture to reach it. You pushed open the heavy hatch and pulled yourself onto the roof. You looked up to the dome looming over you and catching your breath, you got to your feet. As you followed the circumference of the capitol dome, you stopped as you spotted a man glancing off the edge of the Capitol, as if admiring the chaos before him. You reached for a knife but as you raised it silently, it disappeared from your hand as quickly as the man in front of you. You turned around, the man pushed this knife your throat as you were trapped between him and the side of the dome.

The style of his green and gold attire gave away his identity and he glared down at you from his immense height, his helmet exaggerating it even more. He looked into your eyes, a question hiding behind his glare. Your hand travelled to your belt but he stopped it with his own.

"Is that smart?" He put pressure on your throat with the knife.

"You're not the only one with tricks." You said, smirking as white flames appeared on his sleeve and he stepped back, frantically trying to put them out. Once they disappeared his gaze returned to you, with more curiosity than anger.

"Eyes as white as snow," He said under his breath, "Such a peculiar Midgardian." He spoke up.

You were about to respond but stopped yourself as something clicked in your mind; you recognized that voice...from your dreams. "You...how have you...?"

"You heard my call to battle?" His face showed a new found interest. "How is it possible a mortal can hear the whispers of the underworld?"

You were confused until you remembered your mission. You gathered a ball of flame in your hand and let it burn brighter and brighter. "I do not want to kill you, for your brother's sake, but I will if I have to." You warned, pulling back your arm ready to launch. He reached out his hand a a sceptre appeared, pointed directly at you, glowing an eerie blue.

"Put it down, Loki."

"Put out your flame."

"I'm warning you, I will throw it."

"Do as you must, we will see who prevails...yet, I wonder if that flame of yours can be harnessed."

"What?" The flames in your hands sparked higher.

"Those flames could destroy this whole planet...under the right power."

You had no idea what he was saying but you were done. You threw the ball of fire and Loki's sceptre erupted blue light at the same time. Before you knew it, you were flying back in an explosion of blue and white. Recovering you got up and looked around. The dome above you was singed and below it you spotted Loki, reaching his own feet but before you could even move towards him, he was gone. You looked all around but knew he wasn't there and so you looked below you to the yard which was no longer green. You glanced over the field of corpses, all Loki's creature, and sadly a few humans. You saw that the force of creatures was dwindling and you set a cyclone loose among the ground, it sucked in the remaining creatures as it travelled, leaving the Avengers untouched. Finally the battle ended and you climbed back inside, the inside of the Capitol almost unsafe.

You reached the ground floor and left through the front door, climbing over the wreckage and finding the others. They looked exhausted but unharmed and you started to feel the real effects of the explosion, feeling as if you might faint.

"Are you okay, -?" Steve asked, looking concerned.

"Loki got away." You said, not fully aware of what you were saying.

"What was that explosion?" Tony asked, you examined the dents in his armour.

"An accident." You said absent mindedly, "Loki's sceptre and my flames are not a good mix apparently."

"Where did he go?" Natasha asked.

"I don't know...I tried to find him but..."

"My brother is much too quick, even for me." Thor asserted.

"Don't worry." Tony patted your back. "We'll find him."


	9. Chapter 9

Back at Stark Towers, you felt a sense of disappointment but the others' constant reassurances that Loki was not that easy to catch helped you out of your funk. Fury had been waiting for all of you upon your return and had given you a scolding worse than anything you had ever imagined. You all got your fair share but you were the one who let him get away. You excused yourself as you felt exhausted and sore from being thrown sky high by Loki's blue light. You stripped your suit and laid in the immense bath tub until you were clean and happier. You sneaked out for a quick supper, avoiding everyone else who were no doubt also recovering and fell asleep on your bed watching reruns of Three's Company.

The next morning you awoke from another night of Loki's voice, although this time it seemed to be much clearer as if he was meaning to talk directly to you. You brushed out your hair surprised by how long it had grown but stopped yourself as you tied it into your customary bun. You stared in the mirror not sure if you were seeing things. A patch of roots near your temple were bright and contrasting against the rest of your hair. Anyone else would panic at the arrival of greys but you knew it wasn't age; you were still young and these greys weren't grey, they were silver; with a metallic sheen unnatural to human biology. Snapping yourself out of it, you finished your hair and accepted it as it was; your eyes had changed and you were fine, this would be fine too.

You walked out of your room in a pair of black pants and a green wrap blouse, pushing the thought of your hair out of your mind. You headed down the hall and decided that you couldn't be upset forever. You started singing, albeit out of tune, an old Beegees song your mom use to play all the time and soon you were boogeying through the halls. You forgot exactly what you were doing but you hit some of your best moves as you entered the living room to six sets of amused gazes. Embarrassed, you almost stop dead in your tracks but instead struck a final pose like you meant to be caught as the others stared speechless.

"Uh, that was weird." Natasha finally said, breaking the scene.

"Quiet you." You said jokingly, "It's not my fault you can't get down with the funky tunes I'm busting."

Steve and Thor looked completely lost and you laughed at their sheer confusion.

"What did you break?" Steve asked finally.

"Nothing, I only blew your minds." You tried to sound like this was totally normal, but realized you were coming across as a total nut job. You looked back at Tony, the only one genuinely smiling at your performance. "This guy knows what I'm talking about." You had always wanted to say that and you crossed the room, high-fiving Tony. "Yeah, alright, now that that's behind us..." You trailed off before continuing. "Any news on the Loki front?"

"None, but if I know my brother and the casualties he suffered, he needs time to rebuild but I suspect he is getting help from somewhere." You thought over the cryptic conversation you had with Loki.

"Wait," A light bulb flashed in your mind, "Loki said that I 'heard his call to battle' and that I could hear 'the underworld' or some odd foreboding thing like that."

Thor gave a thoughtful look before offering an explanation. "The creatures who fought for him yesterday were not Chitauri but I suspect my brother is still working with Thanos; these troops were much weaker but I suspect Loki was only there to cause damage."

"Oh...well." You didn't know what to say and everyone was silent.

"Enough doom and gloom, people." Tony spoke up. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is on the lookout for Reindeer Games and I think we deserve some sort of break."

"Break?" Bruce looked questioningly at Tony.

"Nothing special really, a trip to the mall! Get the Big Man some soft pretzels," He motioned to Thor, "And maybe teach Steve a little more about the modern world, maybe we can even buy some clothes for the other guy, Bruce." Bruce shot a look at Tony. "The mall has everything we could ever want."

"Ugh..." Steve looked nervously at the others as Natasha kind of looked happy.

"I say yes, what are these soft pretzels at the mall?" Thor pondered.

"Oh, you're going to love them, Shakespeare." Thor smiled and jumped up from his seat on the couch.

You looked around at the mixed reaction but realized what Tony wanted, he got and you figured it couldn't hurt to go to the mall, even if you had no money.


	10. Chapter 10

p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;"The streets of New York were packed and you were relieved to get to the mall away from the honking taxis and sirens. As you walked between Tony and Thor, you looked at the group and realized you might be a bit conspicuous. Thor in his armour and large red cape, Steve in his aged leather jacket, and well, Tony being Tony attracted attention too. You decided it might be best to separate for a while and lose some attention./span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Um, maybe we should disperse and meet in the food court in an hour, maybe lose some of our fans." You hinted at the people staring.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Tony Stark always has fans." Tony said all arrogance.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Be that as it may, we don't need so much attention." You almost felt self-conscious, realizing this was the first time you had been in public without your contacts. Many of the stares you noticed were aimed at you. "Tony and Bruce take Thor for some soft pretzels before he faints, Clint and Natasha, go off and spend some time alone." Natasha gave you a knowing look and Clint looked embarrassed. "And I will show Steve the modern marvel which is the mall." Tony look disappointed, before agreeing. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Fine." He reached in his pocket, handing you a credit card and you hesitated before taking it. "Buy Capsicle here something nice...and don't forget about yourself."span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Oh, thank you." You were almost dumbfounded at his generosity. You tucked the card into your purse and grabbed Steve by the arm, pulling him away from the others who began to disperse as well. You stopped at a video store and directed Steve towards it.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""So...should we go for a classic or maybe introduce you to something after 1945." You joked, leading him to a shelf of discount DVDs. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Um," You watched as he anxiously looked at all the films in front of him. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Come on, you're Captain America! You can't be intimidate by the likes of..." You grabbed a case blindly, "Night of the Living Dead...well, maybe not that." You wanted Steve to enjoy the art of cinema but you weren't sure that was the right direction.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Whatever you think is good I guess." He looked as lost as always.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Fine, close your eyes."span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""What?"span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Just do it." You searched the rack and grabbed to movies and hid them behind your back. "Now open your eyes. Left or Right?"span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Um, Left." You revealed his choice to him.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Dead Poets Society, a good one." You said, handing him the case. You paid at the register, the man attending you first stricken by your bright eyes forgot once he realized that Steve Rodgers was standing across from him purchasing a Robin Williams movie.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" You and Steve stepped out into the craziness of the mall and you searched for another adventure for the great Captain. Then as you passed a costume shop without a second thought, you stopped yourself as a great idea sprung on you. "Steve, do you like Halloween?"span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Um, is that where you get free candy?"span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Oh, yeah, I guess if you're under sugar rationing limitations..." You reminded yourself of his past. "I doubt we'll get free candy but we can get some killer costumes."span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="CENTER"span style="background: transparent;"******I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross blares over a montage of shopping!*******span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="CENTER"span style="background: transparent;"Just kidding, I wouldn't do that to you guys.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" Finally, you convinced Steve to try on a fluffy bunny suit and looked around for a costume yourself while he was in the change room. It had also thrown Steve that they had Captain America costumes there of lesser quality. As you looked around, you found an even better costume for yourself and ran into your own dressing room, laughing like a maniac. You heard Steve exit his own before speaking.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""What is so funny?" He asked.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Oh, you'll see." You zipped up the back of your costume clumsily and tucked your own clothes in your purse. Pulling the mask over your face, you couldn't help a last chuckle before revealing yourself. You swung your door open and jumped out in your Iron Man costume, causing some children to run the other way and Steve turned to you, frozen before bursting out in laughter. However, you were caught up in your own laughter as he stood there in a large, pink, fluffy bunny costume, the head under his arm.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Tony is going to kill you."span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Tony's too much of a narcissist to kill himself." You choked through your laughter, "Although, I think Thor may try to hunt you down, wittle bunny wabbit." You teased.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Hey...I only did it for you."span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Don't worry, you look snazzy."span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" The two of you recovered from your laughing fits and paid for your costumes wearing them out of the store, Steve finally relenting and put his head on. As you walked through the mall, people reacted in fear and amusement at the sight of a giant Easter bunny walking arm in arm with a tiny Iron Man. As you reached the food court, you spotted the others already seated at a table; Thor eating what was probably his twentieth pretzel as the others seemed lost in conversation. You motioned to Steve and you both giggled. You sneaked as quick and inconspicuously as you could and the two of you walked swiftly over to the table when close enough. As you approached silently, Thor was the first to see and choked on his mouthful and the others looked over confused.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" You struck your best cocky Tony Stark pose, legs apart and arms crossed. "Has anyone seen my Best of ACDC cd? I'm lost without it." You said in your best Tony voice. The others laughed realizing it was you while Tony rolled his eyes./span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Did you pick that out yourself?" Clint teased Steve.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""No," His voice muffled through the dopey bunny head.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" "Aw, don't tease him. You're just jealous that he can pull it off. My little pet wabbit, Sparkles!" You patted Steve's shoulder. "Sparkles?" Steve asked despairingly. You grabbed a seat and pulled Steve into the chair beside you, as he took off the rabbit head and you pushed your mask up so it rested on the top of your head. You laughed at Steve's hair which was filled with static and stuck up at all angles.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""I thought you said we didn't want attention drawn to us." Bruce said skeptically.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Well that was then, before I found this amazing suit, I mean look at these abs." You patted the fake foam six pack.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""I can't deny that it looks good on you." Tony agreed, eyeing you up and down.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Of course you would say that, Mr. Vanity." You laughed as he feigned insult, "How many of those have you had?" You asked Thor who began chewing yet another pretzel.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""That many." Natasha pointed to the wrappers which littered the floor around him.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Well, then, should we get back to Stark Tower before Fury realizes we dressed Steve up as the Easter bunny?" I suggested.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""That might be a good idea." Said an anxious sounding Bruce. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" The seven of you made your way through the busy mall and you realized that maybe the costumes weren't the best idea now that the joke was over. Regardless, you walked proudly alongside the others, carrying Steve's bunny head for him as he walked behind with Natasha and Clint. Tony and Bruce stood on either side of you while Thor followed in the very rear, finishing his last pretzel.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" You stepped out the large front doors of the mall which you had enter hours before and outside you met a crowd of paparazzi and camera flashes which almost blinded you. You grabbed onto Bruce, realizing that so much chaos could encourage the other guy. Pushing through with the help of Tony on the other side, you finally reached the waiting limousine. Finally you were all in the limo and ready to go.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Are you alright?" Bruce asked as you steadied yourself.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Fine and dandy, how about you?" You were more concerned with his own temperament.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""I've gotten used to it but sometimes, I don't know." He shrugged.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""I don't know how you could ever get used to that." You smoothed the fur on Steve's bunny head atop your lap.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""When you're an Avenger, it's a necessity." You nodded until you processed it through.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Are you saying I'm an Avenger?" You asked slyly.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""I might be." He smiled at you. "Is that what you want?"span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""I...suppose it's more what I need than I want. I need to help people, right?"span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Of course." He looked into your eyes and you stopped yourself from blushing, you turned back to the rest of them and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Um, -." Bruce interrupted your train of thought and you turned your head to him. "I wasn't sure earlier...but your hair?" he questioned and suddenly you remembered the metallic silvering of your roots.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Yeah..." You tried not to sound too emotional. "It's alright, I can always dye it." You comforted yourself.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Would it be too forward of me to request a sample for testing? I'd like to see what's causing such odd colouring?"span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Not at all, feel free...but have the other tests told you nothing?" You were worried.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""There was virtually nothing out of place, except that your brain activity is higher than usual and your core temperature is constantly fluctuating dramatically." You sat forward at the news.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Why didn't you tell me before?"span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""I just deciphered the results last night and...to be honest, it doesn't seem that it's affecting you in a negative way. But seeing this new change happening, may provide more insight."span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Oh, okay...you would tell me if there's something wrong?"span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Of course." He grabbed your hand reassuringly and you sat back, pulling the Iron Man mask off your head with your other hand, putting it atop the bunny head.span/p 


	11. Chapter 11

You returned to Stark Tower unharmed as Tony tried to convince Steve to hop around like a bunny and Steve politely declined, repeatedly. That night ended like any other but as you looked at the mirror, you noticed that the silver in your hair had travelled to even more strands and you touched the roots cautiously. The texture of the already transformed hair was unnatural; it was thicker and sleeker, feeling almost as metallic as is looked. You brushed out your hair putting it out of your mind and went to bed without a second thought.

The sleep you fell into was so deep; you felt as if you were somewhere else and the dreams which accompanied so vivid they seemed almost real. You were walking on a dead, grey surface with indents and craters hazarding your every step. Endless caves could be found within every crevice and a darkness surrounded you which set you on edge. Finally you were drawn to a cave larger than any other and you entered slowly, unsure of what was within. At the same time this felt so familiar, like a sort of deja vu. The cave became darker and darker the further you went and soon you stood lost in pitch black silence.

As you tried looked into the nothingness before you, your vision began to adjust and you could see the walls of the cave around you, the stalactites and stalagmites meeting each other in points. A glow of green stung your peripheral in a flash and you turned to the other side of the cave where a man you recognized stood, overlooking a drop in the cave. Loki had his back to you as he began to speak.

"So nice to see you again, White One." He slithered.

"I wish I could say I felt the same." You had to stop your voice from cracking, this didn't feel like a dream anymore. As the hairs rose on your neck, you turned to leave feeling an odd sense of foreboding. Turning, you were stopped by Loki's green and gold swathed chest, the blue light of his sceptre shone just above your head. "You need to stop doing that." You said frustrated.

"What is your name?" Loki asked and you realized that maybe if you answered a few of his questions, you'd be able to leave or at least figure a plan out.

"-," You said begrudgingly.

"More importantly," His green eyes glowed in the darkness and you could see the definitive out line of his face. "What are you?"

"Uh,... human?" You offered.

"No, no, not human, not anymore. Before you might have been a mortal Midgardian but you have been touched by death." He reached his hand out and stroked the place where your hair had started to change. You recoiled but he was quick, hanging onto your arm so you couldn't move. You tried to set him alight like your last meeting, but all that appeared was a white aura, fading slowly away from him.

"That won't work here." He scolded you.

"What do you want?" You spat at him.

"I want the light trapped within you." He replied.

"Whatever that means, it's never going to happen."

"You can give it to me or I can take it." He threatened pulling you closer.

"Well then, I'd like to see you try." Your voice challenged brimmed in anger and all at once his hand pulled away from you in shock, you looked at it and it glowed a sickly white, his veins a contrasting black.

"What did you do?" He groaned as he watched his hand slowly turn back to its normal colour.

You had no idea what you had done but your weren't going to let him know that. "Why don't you try again and see?" You stepped towards him, trying to seem unafraid. He matched you and stepped closer, looming over you. "The next time I try, I will not fail." He promised before disappearing back into the darkness.

You woke with a start, your head pounding and looked at the clock, you had actually slept a full eight hours. You rolled out of bed reluctantly and yawned as you stripped for a shower. Stepping out, you threw on some grey jeans and a plain white tee as you threw your hair in a messy bun. You kept thinking back to the dream as you walked the halls hoping that Thor was easy to find. You found him eating a pile of junk food in the dining room and luckily no one else was there. You sat down next to him trying to figure out exactly what to say.

"Hey, Thor, how's the fruit roll-up?" You started apprehensively.

"It is most delicious." He smiled back as he ate the blue and yellow snack.

"Great..." You hoped he could help. "Um, is there anything else you can tell me about Loki?"

"My brother? I know my brother better than anyone but I cannot say much about what he is planning."

"What about the soldiers he was using? They didn't give you any hint?"

"No, Fair -, all I can tell you is they are below even the Chitauri, sent out as a buffer, which would indicate that my brother has intents for something much bigger."

"When he spoke to me at the Capitol, he said something about an 'underworld'? Do you know what he was referring to?"

"It could have been the planet where Thanos dwells but Loki is much more clever than that. I suspect he has found a more sinister force." He unwrapped yet another roll up and you thought to yourself. "Why is it you ask me about my brother? Director Fury will find him if we do not first."

"I have to tell you something but I don't want anyone else to know." Thor finally quit eating and looked at you expectantly. "I talked to Loki last night."

"He was here, Lady -?"

"Not exactly, I think I was somewhere else." You struggled with the memory. "I thought maybe it was just a dream but I could swear that I was with Loki, somewhere dark."

"Did he say anything about his plans, my lady?"

"None, only that he wanted 'my light'."

"Hmm," He sat thinking silently before saying anything further. "My brother is determined but I will not let him harm you, little one."

"I am not worried about that, I hurt him last night but I'm not sure how." You thought back to Loki's discoloured hand. "I am only worried that we may be too late to stop whatever it is he's planning."

"We could not be too late, not with you." Thor said, his voice softer than before.

"Thanks," You smiled back at him.

"I mean it tiny Midguardian, you are stronger than anyone I have ever met." Your smile only grew at this and he returned it. He looked into your eyes, a sense of security emerged within you and at that moment you felt an odd connection with him. You realized that you were both getting closer, that his heavily muscled arm had found its way to your waist and that you were leaning off your chair. You were about to welcome the warmth of his contact when the dining room door flew open and you lost your balance falling onto the floor.

"Whoa, are you okay -?" Bruce said as Thor helped you back up.

"I'm totally fine," You tried to act like that was normal. "Someone should get that chair checked out."

"Okay..." He said, giving you an odd look, "I was looking for you, I wanted to get that sample."

"Oh yeah, let's get it done then." You squeezed Thor's shoulder in goodbye and followed Bruce to his office making small talk.

As you sat in his lab waiting as Bruce shuffled through a bunch odds and ends, he finally approached you. You let your hair down out of its scrunchy and he combed out the front of your hair with his fingers.

"I'm just going to take one strand, this one seems to have almost fully changed." He said and you nodded, and almost yelped as he pulled the hair with tweezers, watching as he sealed it in a plastic bag.

"Well, that was quick and almost painless." You tied your hair back once more and hoped down from the stool you had been lounging on.

"I hope it wasn't too bad." He said.

"Not at all," You crossed over to him as he set the bag aside with various other samples.

"I'll get back to you as soon as possible." He turned to you.

"I won't hold my breath," You joked. "Although, my hair may literally turn grey by then."

"It's so unusual, though." He looked at the patch of spreading silver. "Your eyes changed so long ago, why did the hair wait so long?"

"You know about as much as I do, Doc." You leaned against the lab table.

"I'm not saying I hate it." He smiled down at you, "Although, I understand it's not easy changing without any explanation or control."

"It's just hair," You shrugged.

"Silver or not, it suits your beauty." His hand shyly grazed your arm and he seemed to lean in ever so little but pulled away as you heard voices in the hall.

Tony entered with Steve as you and Bruce tried to look casual, Bruce failing as he struggled to put his glasses on properly. But you were super cool, leaning on the lab like a country singer in a music video.

"What's poppin'?" You asked and Steve again looked like he was trying to solve complicated physics while Tony gave a tiny chuckle.

"Aw, where's the suit?" Tony alluded to yesterday's game of dress up.

"I should ask Steve the same? He made such an adorable bunny." Steve grinned slightly at this.

"Well, I'd say it's a lot cuter than his Captain suit." Tony teased. "But, I wasn't here to talk about Steve's sense of style, I need to talk to you." He pointed at you and motioned towards the door. "Don't worry, Doc, Spangles can keep you company." He said as he ushered you out the door and began to lead you down the hall.

"So what is this about, Tony?" You asked, confused by what exactly he wanted to talk about.

"Nothing in particular, I just wanted some time alone, without the others." He said draping an arm around your shoulder.

"Sure." You said suspicious.

"Aw, don't you trust me, -?"

"Not alone." You quipped as he let out an amused laugh.

"Hmmm, I never expected that little woman who walked into my office claiming to be a journalist would be so sassy."

"Sassy? Try amazingly witty." You threw back as he led you to a door you'd never been through and he punched in a code. "Ooh, what's in there?" You asked.

"My workshop. I figured that you'd wanna try on the real thing."

"You mean," You followed him through the large door into a high tech garage, "The real suit!?"

"Yep, just don't tell anyone else."

"My lips are sealed." You said excitedly, Tony directed you to a clear space and began to give orders to JARVIS. All at once you had robotics working around you and in less than a minutes you had the suit on, albeit it was very heavy and rather big. "I can't believe I'm wearing the suit!"

"It really does suit you." He crossed over to you, "Now, let me help you with the controls."

As Tony taught you how to work most of the suit, you were in sheer disbelief and after almost killing Tony trying to fly, you decided you'd stick to your own tricks. "Now just stand still." He told you as you were stripped of the suit and just rolled your shoulders happy to be free of the weight.

"Not as easy as it looks, huh, Zombie?" He crossed over to you.

"Do you insist on keeping up these cheesy nicknames?" You rolled your eyes.

"It's kinda my schtick." He swept a loose hair off your cheek with his hand.

"Is that so, Robocop?"

"Hey, stop stealing my things." He said, getting closer until you realized for the third time that day that you were in somewhat of a compromising position. You didn't know what to do and stepping back onto something behind you, which felt a lot like a wrench, you fell on your butt for the second time. "Jesus, -, are you alright?" Tony offered you his hand as you laid sprawled on the concrete floor.

"I'll live." You said as you let him pull you to your feet. "It's not the first time today I've done that."

He laughed, no doubt imagining you falling again and you flicked him playfully in the arm. "Anyways," You said, "I think we were due in training ten minutes ago."


	12. Chapter 12

p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background-color: transparent;"After changing into your own suit while Tony nagged you from the other side of your bedroom door, you headed to training where the others waited. They seemed impatient to begin and gave you warning looks as Tony and you finally arrived. Bruce was once again in the control booth and as he began the countdown, you and the team got into position. This time there were twice as many dummies accompanied once more by a bombard of wooden pellets. This time you decided to work on your force field while also keep your flames alight. You also worked on your gun skills, finding you weren't as rusty as you thought. The session ended in a mess of dummies and wooden pellets, as you felt mentally exhausted from the exercise and the others looked just as hard done./span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Well, I think my head is going to explode." You said tucking your gloves into your belt.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""My muscles are screaming." Nat said as she leaned against you and you gave a tired groan. "Let's go back to my room and try not to die." She joked as you walked out of the gym, leaving the men to their own devices. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""I can't promise that." You said as you dragged yourself along the hall.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" You got to Nat's room, the two of you stripping out of your sweat drenched suits. Nat left you sprawled in your underwear on the bed as she went to shower and you let the cool air embrace you. As you listened to the buzz of the shower in the adjoining room, you heard something in the hallway but just ignored it. The noise sounded once again and so you figured a small peak couldn't hurt. Sticking your head out the door, you saw nothing, but heard the noise once more. You looked up and down the hall and decided it was safe to take a few steps out. As you neared the noise, you found the source to be a vent cover vibrating from the blast of air emitting from it. span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" You kicked yourself for being concerned and returned to Nat's door but realized that it was locked. Shit. You could hear the shower still going and knocked as loud as you could, but it was futile. You were stranded in the hallway with nothing but your panties and sports bra. Just when you though it couldn't get any worse, you heard footsteps coming from around the corner and you knocked furiously on Nat's door. But the shower continued to buzz and you realized it was too late. You turned as Steve rounded the corner and you tried to cover yourself with your hands. Steve stopped as he saw you and his cheeks glowed redder than you had ever seen them before.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Uh," He stuttered trying to figure out where to look, "I-I-I..."span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Turn around, Steve!" You almost shouted, but didn't want to attract any more attention. Steve covered his eyes at once with his hand and turned his back to you.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""I didn't mean to look...but I wasn't expecting you to be-." He said embarrassed.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""I didn't expect to be out here either." You banged on the door once more. "But I locked myself out. Nat please." You heard the shower stop and waited for Nat to realize your mistake. "Listen Steve," You said, trying to make it less awkward, "Don't worry about this whole...debacle, we'll just act like it never happened." You reassured him.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Of course, never happened." He said, rubbing the back of his neck and you knocked again. The door finally opened and you rushed in, "Later, Steve." You yelled behind you, closing the door as quickly as possible.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Steve?!" Natasha said.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""Just-never mention this again." You said, colouring as she laughed.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;""I can only try." She said, tossing you a tank top and sweats from inside her dresser.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" Dinner went by as usual, although you kept catching Steve giving you awkward stares and the other guys sneaking their own prolonged gazes. The rest of the night was much of the same as you hung around in the living room gazing out the giant window at the incredible view, the stars and moon shining down peacefully over the red and yellow lights of neighbouring building. Being exhausted from the arduous training, you decided to retire earlier than usual and fell into a heavy sleep, weighed down by your sore muscles and aching head.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" You dreamed of nothing but a pitch black as you were swallowed up by the world of dreams. Slowly, as you subconsciously felt dawn approaching, the black faded away and you were lying on your bed, wide awake. You stared at the ceiling, you realized you couldn't move, that you were weighed down by some unseen force. All that you could hear was your own soft breathing as you struggled to break free. If you could have, you would've jumped when you heard a familiar, sinister voice from beside you. You couldn't even move your head to stare at the dark haired demi-god standing above you, but soon enough you could see Loki's pale face staring down at you as you fought for any sort of movement.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" He touched your cheek, surprisingly gentle, and you felt helpless as you saw the unsettling light behind his eyes. At this, you forced yourself to scream and the dream fell away as you awoke for real this time. You sat up in bed and looked around; no sign of Loki. You sat in bed for a few more minutes building up the strength to get yourself up. Finally, you pushed the covers off and crawled off the bed, sweeping the loose hair out of your face. You looked in the mirror hesitating as your eyes seemed to be alight and as you focused, you noticed that the metallic silver had travelled to even more of your hair. Instead of a few roots and strands, their was now a thick streak disturbing your natural colour.span/p  
>p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="background: transparent;" Blinking at yourself in the mirror a few times, you kicked yourself and began your morning ritual of brushing your teeth. Please with the spotlessness of your pearly whites, you stretched your arms before turning the bathroom handle. As you entered your bedroom once more, something inside you shouted and you slowly walked across the soft, rich carpet. As you heard something move behind you, you turned but found yourself blinded, first by a blue flash and then sinking into an unconscious black.span/p 


	13. Chapter 13

You awoke in the familiar dark of those dreams you weren't quite sure were dreams; except that you were sure this was your reality. Groaning from the new pain in your head you rolled off your even more painful back and caught yourself when you realized one more inch would send you off the endless drop off of the cave. You were barely able to save yourself as your bound hands and feet restrained you from entire mobility. You pushed yourself back, your wrists chaffing as your tried to sit up. You managed to reach your feet, dizzy at the effort, but as you straightened up, something swept up behind your feet, knocking you back to the ground.

As you withheld another groan of pain, you realized that someone was laughing as they stood staring down at you. Loki's eyes glowed in the darkness of the cave and ensured you that you were truly awake. Anger flashed through your mind as you came to your senses and you tried your white flames to undo the solid bounds on your limbs. However, all that happened when you tried was a sizzle and Loki chuckled amused as you tried again, frustrated.

"Try all you want," He said, kneeling down. "But these are not any shackles." He grabbed you by your shoulder, setting you down against the wall, sitting upright. As you fidgeted against your restraints, Loki sat across from you, legs crossed.

"Let me go!" You demanded despite your helpless dilemma.

"Do you not want to know why you are here?" He ignored your command. "Why I have not killed you?"

"Well, it sounds like you're about to tell me, so why bother?" You spat back.

"Watch your self, -." He said in a warning tone, "I may yet change my mind." You remained silent, not wanting to waste your energy on his ego. "Now, you see, your absence from that team of outcasts makes my mission much easier, but your life provides me with eternal power."

You stared at him questioningly, unsure of what he meant. "Is that so?"

"That is, if Thanos can find a need for your unique abilities." He smirked, "And if not, well it should be of little consequence, for I shall conquer Midgard either way."

"Well, good luck with that." You taunted, trusting in the abilities of your estranged team.

"Ah, do not despair." He said mischievously, "You shall witness my plan in person and see your beloved Midgard burn."

At this, you lost control and absentmindedly tried to burn him but all that came was a pathetic wisp of smoke from your shackles. Another laugh escaped Loki before he pulled you forcefully up to your feet. "Now then, it seems we are due for the first strike." As his grip remained firmly on your arm, a speeding rainbow of light appeared around you and before you realized it you were standing in the middle of a pristine office. You could guess that you were in some sort of government building and from the flags and portraits on the wall, you could be certain it was British.

"Where are we?" You uttered instinctively.

"What you Midgardians refer to as the Parliament Buildings, I believe. Although your mortal geography is of no concern to me."

He let go of you, and you managed to fall against the wall as he walked over to the large desk at the centre of the room. You watched helplessly as he held his sceptre above the desk and an orb of blue light began to form above it. You realized that he was going to leave that orb there to explode and destroy the building, if not the whole of London. You decided that even if your powers were stinted you weren't going to just give up. As he stood focused on the growing light in front of him, you began to look around the office, but alas there was nothing there to break your impenetrable bonds. You looked at Loki and realized there was one thing that could break your bond...maybe.

You took your first hop towards the demi-god and waited for him to notice: nothing. You hopped again. Again. Again. And then you were within arms length and you jumped full force with all your strength at his back, making sure to knock him with the hard metal of your bounds. As you both fell to the ground, his sceptre fell on the other side of the desk. You rolled off as he was still face down and as he went to rise, you kicked him full force with both feet. Then you began to furiously crawl the other way around the desk as the sceptre laid finger tips away. You saw Loki on his feet from the corner of your eyes and pushed yourself the last inch to the sceptre. You finally grabbed it and as Loki closed in you swung it, catching him in the legs making him stumble to his knees. It was enough for you to turn the sceptre and force your ties into the blue light. It quickly released your bond, slightly burning your flesh and you thanked the fates that it worked.

Loki reached for you once more and you jabbed at him with the end of the sceptre as he stopped its force with his own grip. Your ties now lay on the floor unbeknownst to Loki and you caught him off guard with your white flames and he flew back, trying to beat off the flames. You took advantage of the distraction and formed a shield around him much like you had yourself at the Capitol. As the flames died, Loki made to move towards you but found himself repelled by the shield which enclosed him. Keeping the force field strong, you once again hopped up to your feet and to Loki's sceptre which he had dropped in his struggle with the flames. You undid the shackles on your legs and sat down at the desk, keeping your eyes on a now fuming Loki, who was busy yelling threats and futilely fighting his imprisonment. You grabbed the telephone, calling the operator and asked for a connection to Tony Stark in New York, accepting the charges.

"Stark Industries, Pepper Potts speaking." The assistant's voice rang.

"Ms. Potts, it's -, I need you to pass me onto Tony right away." You heard a shuffling before another familiar voice sounded over the land line.

"Hello?" Tony said.

"Tony, you need to get the others right away."

"-?! Where are you? What happened to you?" He sounded worried.

"There's no time to explain, but I need you to get to the British Parliament building in London right now." You tried not to let the anxiety coat your voice as you realized that it would take all your strength to uphold the shield until the others could arrive. "Hurry." You pleaded, hanging up.

"Do you think they will make before you pass out?" Loki said from his jail, now relaxed against the invisible wall.

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see." You said in a challenging tone.

You looked over the desk at the glowing orb of blue and building up your already paramount energy, you enclosed it with a cyclone in a desperate attempt to disarm it. It slowly began to separate with the force of the cyclone until eventually the blue faded and you let your cyclone die. You could feel the field around Loki flickering and your head pounded even more as you fought to keep him trapped as he smirked knowingly. You pushed yourself until you were sure that you had already passed out and this was all a cruel dream. As you felt your pulse behind your eyes, the door across from the desk burst open and you almost cried as Steve entered the room with his shining shield.

"Don't let him go." You gasped as you felt the field fading for good and spotting Loki for the first time, Steve was on top of him before Loki could even breathe and you let go entirely. As your vision began to dull, you saw Nat walk in followed by Tony in his Iron Man attire, Clint with his signature bow, Bruce still in normal form, and finally Thor, standing tall in his crimson cape.


	14. Chapter 14

You awoke in pain once again, restrained this time by I.V.'s and tubes connected to medical devices. You opened your eyes slowly as they adjusted to the light and the blur of your vision faded and you could clearly make out the white ceiling above you. You were in Bruce's lab atop a typical hospital bed and despite your discomfort, you smiled. You turned your head as movement caught your eye and you realized Bruce was standing with his back to you, fiddling with one of the machines around you.

"Am I alive, Doc?" You rasped and Bruce jumped as you interrupted the beeping of his machines.

"-!" He turned at once. "You are, thankfully." He walked over to you in your bed, his face changing from surprised to affectionate in a moment.

"So, can you unhook me from the robots or am I to stay here forever?" You asked, pulling at the tubes in your arms.

"Only if you think you can." He said concerned. "These machines are barely support, your body appears to prosper even without them."

"Then?"

"I only wanted to monitor you, better safe than sorry."

"So, what are you waiting for, set me free." As you said this, he went about removing the wires and tubes and you already felt better than when you first awoke.

You pushed yourself to a sitting position and turned yourself so your legs were over the side. You were now wearing a hospital gown, thankfully with a back and Bruce assured you that Nat had been the one who changed you and not Tony, laughing at the last part. You finally dared to stand up and taking one step forward, you realized it wasn't going to be that easy. Bruce was right there to catch you and helped you step into some slippers waiting for you.

"Can I see the others?" You asked.

"If that's what you want." He again assented, "Unless you would rather rest?"

"I didn't go through all that trouble getting up to rest." You said and he nodded, helping you limp out of the room. You felt a bit of strength return to you as you were led down the hall and you were anxious to see the other.

"Wait," You reminded yourself of what had happened, "How long was I out?"

"Just over a day." Bruce replied.

"And Loki?" You were nervous.

"Locked up...Below ground. Tony designed a special bunker down there for such a case..."

"You mean, the other guy?" You gave him a sympathetic look.

"Yes, but at least he's not the one in it." He brushed it off, pausing a moment before continuing. "We thought you had left but Nat pointed out that you didn't take anything."

"How long was I gone?" You realized you had no idea how long it had been since your last night in Stark Tower.

"Four days, we looked all over for you." He said, a hint of sadness. "Tony went out every night in his suit looking for you, Thor broke Tony's fridge with his hammer, and Nat even called your mother."

"My mother? How?"

"We didn't know whether or not she would know anything, but she was the only family we knew about."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, she said about as much." You rounded the corner, the ache in your head had nearly disappeared just as you reached the living room.

"-!" You looked up as Nat came running over to you, looking worried, and wrapped you in a firm but gentle hug as Bruce let go of you.

"I'm fine, Nat." You said as she prolonged her embrace a few seconds before finally letting go.

"It seems you've earned you nickname once more, Zombie." Tony announced as he appeared in front of you and you felt a new happiness at seeing him, which only grew as you spotted the others in the room.

Clint sat on the couch, a space, most likely recently vacated by Nat between him and Thor, who had that endearing smile of his plastered on his face. Steve had stood up from his chair and looked at you, a shadow of relief lined his features.

"Okay, everybody," You said to the room, "Calm down. I stand before you alive." You laughed softly before giving a small sarcastic bow.

"I told you!" Thor boomed. "She is the strongest of Midgardians."

"We never doubted that." Steve agreed.

"You all flatter me," You felt slightly light-headed, "But I think maybe I might faint if I don't follow the doctor's orders." You steadied yourself by grabbing Bruce's shoulder. "I need to sit down."

Steve offered up his chair and Bruce helped you over to it and you relaxed into the cushion, sighing in a new found peace. "So did you miss me?" You smirked.


	15. Chapter 15

You enjoyed the rest of the day under the concerned watch of your team mates and were glad that night to have had a genuinely dreamless sleep. You awoke feeling back to normal and you hopped out of bed, ecstatic to no longer be on the edge of unconsciousness. You crossed over to the bathroom, stopping at the door and taking a paranoid look back at your room before entering. You looked in the mirror and were shocked at what stared back at you. Half of your head was covered in silver hair and you almost wondered why no one had warned you. It shone mockingly in the light and despite knowing that it was all going to change eventually, you felt disappointed.

You got dressed quickly and tied your hair up, feeling renewed regardless of that brief set back as you stepped back into the familiar halls of Stark Tower. You reached the dining room and as before, Thor was the first one there eager to break his fast. He was already eating a stack of waffles and you almost laughed at his predictability.

"Hello, Thor, my old friend." You said, all sunshine.

"Good morning, -," He responded in kind.

"You know," You said, pouring your coffee, "I missed it here, even your endless appetite."

Thor smiled as he finished chewing a waffle, and his face turned serious as he seemed to remind himself of something. "Lady -, I apologize for my brother's actions." He said solemnly.

"No need to apologize, you cannot be held responsible for your brother." You said, reassuringly.

"Yet, if I had been able to prevent Loki's escape..."

"Don't beat yourself up," You sipped your coffee, "Your brother will be forced to live up to his mistakes soon enough."

"I—would never have been able to forgive myself if he had killed you, Fair Maiden."

"Well, he didn't so there's no need to dwell on it." You told yourself more than him, "Although, I should talk to him."

"Talk to Loki?" He questioned, "It is not wise to antagonize my brother when he is caged."

"I dealt with him when he was free, I can handle him behind bars." You assured him. "But I am still thankful for your concern."

As you said this, Nat entered alongside Clint and they said there good mornings, soon followed by Steve, Bruce, and Tony, who smiled at you eagerly. You ate nearly as much as Thor and were anxious for the day's training but Bruce, with help from Steve, convinced you to wait another day before pushing yourself to excess. As you finished, you forced your mind back to more important issues, and considering that training was out of the question, you decided that you had better talk to Loki. You became determined to carry this out by the end of the day, sure that if you didn't now, than you wouldn't at all. As the others went about their own activities, you stopped Tony before he could push through the swinging door of the dining room.

"Oh, Iron Man," You cooed innocently.

"Zombie?" He turned, suspicious at your exceeding sweetness. "What is it?"

"Well..." You prepared yourself for an argument. "I need to talk to Loki."

"...What!?" Tony, in rare form, was thrown off guard, "You want to talk to the guy who abducted you?"

"Um, yeah." You held strong, "And I think you know that if you don't let me, I will find another way."

"And your sure about this?"

"He is behind bulletproof glass designed to hold even the Hulk, I am sure."

"I don't-"

"Tony, I need to do this..." You gave a pleading look, "I don't think that this is the end of what Loki was planning...it's not over."

"Fine, you know I can't say no to you." He put his hand on your shoulder gently. "But promise me you'll get out of there if you sense anything wrong."

"Of course."

"I mean it, I don't want to see you in that hospital bed again."

"I swear, I'll be wary."

An hour later, Tony finally led you down to Loki's holding cell. You took the elevator silently all the way to the hidden basement and were led down a series of halls with guards stationed every six steps. Finally, you approached a large metal door which only opened after Tony entered a dozen different codes. As the door stood ajar in front of you, you prepared yourself for what was ahead, and giving Tony's arm a squeeze, you stepped alone into the room.

The door closed behind you as you walked forward cautiously towards the transparent, bulletproof wall of the cell. You could see Loki sitting with his back to you in the middle of the cell and you walked all the way to the glass, stopping before it.

"Well," He said, not even looking back, "I thought you were dead."

"Sorry to disappoint." You kept your voice even.

"Not at all," In a blink, he stood opposite you on the other side of the glass. "It is always a pleasure."

"Hmm," You held back your anger as he looked down at you. "I don't see why you're so- undisturbed by your imprisonment." You began as planned, "I mean, you go through all that trouble to escape your Asgardian jail only to exchange it for a Midgardian one." You saw a flicker of disgust cross his face.

"Actually, my escape from Asguard was not my doing." The arrogance returned, "It was Thanos, I owed him a debt and he believed that I could still pay it."

"And you would have, had you not been bested by a Midgardian." His smirk disappeared altogether.

"Is it really worth it?" You continued. "To repeatedly send yourself to a prison cell trying to conquer a planet of beings you despise?"

"For freedom, I would do the very same again."

"Freedom? Or Power?"

"Both I suppose," His face was still lined with frustration, "Power is freedom. Freedom from my father and brother, from the shadow they cast over me. That is a freedom I would die for."

"Is that it? Or is it freedom from the debt you owe Thanos?"

"Thanos will get his debt, I have no doubt." He conceded. "I knew that when I arranged the deal; this cell or Thanos' wrath, I know where I stand. And I, a prince of Asgard, do not need a Midgardian telling me my status in this universe." He spat these words, slamming his fist against the glass.

"And if Thanos cannot get you, what happens to that debt?" This is what you were dreaded, a feeling in the pit of your stomach told you with or without Loki, there was a threat.

"If Thanos does not get my head, he will retrieve what I originally promised: Midgard."

"What?" You could tell by the look on his face, he was telling the truth.

"Even with me locked in this cell, your precious planet is on the brink of destruction and there is nothing you can do to prevent it." A smirk graced his face once more, "And I shall still be fortunate enough to see it happen."

You stood silently processing his words.

"Even your white flames cannot save your people," He taunted you from behind the glass, "Yet, it would be unfortunate for such a gifted being as yourself to parish for such a pathetic realm."

You stopped yourself from hitting the glass, much like he had moments earlier, and you instead turned your back to him.

"You could leave these people to their own devices," He said to your back, "Let them die, save yourself."

You again stayed silent in thought before you replied, content that you had gotten what you came for. "Good bye, Loki." You stepped towards the door, pressing the button to open it and glanced back. Loki stood where you had left him, and you almost felt bad leaving him alone but then again, you felt even better about possibly causing him pain.


	16. Chapter 16

Tony took you back up to the living quarters and you could tell he wanted to know what happened between you and Loki, but you weren't sure exactly how to say. You let him go about his own tasks, improving his suit and whatnot as you began to wander back to your room hoping to clear your head and figure out what your next move was. As you turned the corner, you saw Steve standing outside your bedroom door, no doubt having just knocked.

"You won't get an answer." You said as you made your ways towards him.

"Oh, hi -." Steve said smiling nervously.

"What can I do for you, Steve?" You were almost relieved that you didn't have to sit around stew in your own thoughts yet.

"I just thought, since you're not training today, that maybe you'd want some company." He offered.

"Well, I think you're right." You said cheerily, "After spending the last few days either being unconscious or with Loki, I think that would be great." As you mentioned Loki, you saw the Captain flinch and you decided that you wouldn't mention the visit you just had.

"Okay, I was hoping you would-," He paused in his usual demeanour, "Like to watch that movie together?" He held out the DVD and you almost laughed, having forgot about forcing him to buy.

"Oh, you're going to love this!" You took it from him, opening your door. "We can watch it in here, so the others don't interrupt. It's a very serious film, you know." You turned on the television across from your bed and slipped The Dead Poets' Society out of its case and into the player.

"Please sit." You turned back to a still standing Steve, motioning to the bed. You hopped onto it yourself and patted the space beside you. "Relax, I won't bite."

He stalked over to you awkwardly and sat down beside you, leaning against the head board, he stretched his long legs out in front of him. You grabbed the remote and began skipping through the previews, although having to sit through the pesky anti-piracy warnings.

"Um, -," Steve said before you selected 'play', "I wanted you to know that I'm glad you're back."

"Thanks, Steve." You said looking over at him. "Although I think I may be happier than you are to be back."

"You know, we called your mother." He said after a moment.

"Yeah, Bruce told me." You said, trying to avoid the topic.

"She said she hadn't seen you in more than six months." He sounded genuinely concerned.

"She wasn't lying," You confirmed, "But it's really not unusual." He gave you a curious look. "I—My mother is a conflicted woman and I love her, but I've always been a burden on her and my siblings, ever since-well, you know."

"Oh...so you just don't see her anymore?"

"It's not exactly an independent choice." You tried to mask your discomfort, "I lived with my mother until I was eighteen, we saw each other everyday and she was able to disguise how anxious I made her. But once I went away to university, it changed. I think without me she was able to relax for the first time in a long time and when I visited her on holidays and came back for the summer, well I could tell. I became more certain with every visit that all I ever did was cause her was pain. She loves me, I know, but it doesn't mean that she can handle my-differences." You finished, trying to seem unfazed.

"That's-I don't know what's worse." He sounded sad, "Not having any family or being rejected by them."

You thought about how his family was long gone and his words rang through, you grabbed his hand and pressed play. "Enough of that," You said, "Let's just sit back and enjoy."

You stayed like that for the whole movie, holding Steve's hand actually calmed you especially after everything that had transpired over the last little while. You forgot about Loki and about what you had been planning since you had finished your conversation with him. The movie ended and you looked at Steve, a hint of a tear in his eye. You almost wanted to tease him but you figured Tony was enough for him to deal with on a daily basis. You squeezed his hand instead.

"So, did you like it?" You asked.

"Yes...it was touching." He said, sniffing.

"I told you it was good."

"I never doubt you."

You looked at your watch, shocked that it was so late. "God, it's already dinner time. The others are probably wondering where we are."

"You're right." He let go of your hand as you both got up, stretching your stiff legs. "Should I wear the bunny suit to supper?" He asked playfully.

"Was that a joke, Steve?"

"Maybe, was it funny?" He gave you a cute half-grin.

"Come on." You said, chuckling, as you pulled him out the door.


	17. Chapter 17

Dinner went by as usual, you sat beside Steve and Nat eating your slice of pizza and enjoying the company. You sat trying to relax with your friends but something inside of you wouldn't let your mind rest. You joked with Tony as you watched Nat and Clint send each other those 'secret' looks. Steve was telling Thor about Dead Poets, and Bruce occasionally slipped in a comment. However, you knew that this wasn't going to last, that there was something you had to do. After you finished eating, you went to your room with a cloud of sadness hanging over you. You stared at the ceiling as you sorted your thoughts and finally, just before you dozed off, you came to a decision.

You awoke with your clothes still on and dragged yourself through your morning rituals before forcing yourself to face the day. You walked slowly down the hall, taking in everything as if it was all brand new again. You ate your breakfast alone, sneaking in and out of the kitchen, procrastinating one last time as you ate your breakfast back in your room. Then you finally built yourself up, you pulled on your dark blue suit, your utility belt, gloves, and boots. And then you headed back out and to the gymnasium. You were the first one there, you waited what seemed like forever before Nat and Clint entered, followed by Tony and Bruce, and finally Thor and Steve. As Bruce went to leave for the control booth, you decided it was now or never.

"Wait, Bruce." You stopped him as he neared the door. "I don't think that we're going to need you up there." The others gave you looks. "Um," You looked around you at the other six's faces. "I'm leaving." You blurted out.

"What?!" Nat said before anyone else could react.

"It's something I have to do." You made yourself sound determined, remembering your conversation with Loki. "This fight is not over, I have to find Thanos."

"But Loki-" Clint began.

"Is not our only enemy." You finished. "Loki still owes a debt to Thanos and it will be paid, with or without Loki."

"Then, we all will look for Thanos, we're a team, we fight together."

"I'm not going to fight him." You replied. "I'm going to pay Loki's debt; Loki said to me that Thanos could use me, that even if he didn't deliver Midgard, he had me."

"You cannot do this, Lady -." Thor boomed. "Thanos is much stronger than my brother, he will kill you."

"So be it." You said flatly. "If that's what it takes to save this planet, it is what I will do."

"But-" Thor protested once more.

"But nothing." You kept your voice strong. "I'm giving you your brother back, Thor. He may not care, but I know you still love him. So, you can take him back to Asgard for his trial, because I know that even behind bars, he is still your family." The others stood in shocked silence, realizing that you weren't going to take no for an answer. "I owe all of you so much." Tears built and you swallowed them back. "Tony, you gave me the chance to just be who I am because you trusted the girl who walked into your office and lied to your face." Tony smirked and stepped forward to give you a hug, his metal suit hard against the thermal material of your own suit. "Nat, you are my first real friend, not just because you're the only other female here." You smiled and she gave you a hug of her own. "Thor, I hope Loki realizes how lucky he is to have you as his family." Thor stepped forward and swept you into a tight hug, lifting you off the ground. "Clint, just take care of Nat, will you?" His hug was gentle but firm. "Bruce, you taught me to appreciate the changes I have faced, you and the other guy both." Bruce embraced you, reluctant to let go. "And Steve, don't let this world get to you, you'll find a home here, I know it." Steve hugged you without hesitation and you struggled against the threat of tears. "I'm sorry." You realized how sudden this must seem to them. "And even though we've only been a team for a short time, I consider you all to be family. You have allowed me to be who I truly am for the first time in my life." You wiped away the tear that escaped and sniffed back the rest.

"Wait," Thor said, "You cannot get anywhere without the Tesseract."

"That's what I thought," You thought about your dreams, "But I think I know a way." You stepped back away from them, collecting yourself. "I've never been good at this but...good-bye." You looked at their sullen faces and your heart sunk. You closed your eyes and concentrated, hoping you were right about this. You felt your body tense up as a sudden surge took over and you opened your eyes, glancing at the others one last time before a blur of white surrounded you.


	18. Chapter 18

All at once, the ground became solid under you again and you nearly stumbled back as the white around you faded, leaving you alone in the darkness around you. You were back in the cave where Loki had brought you, you felt so lost in the blackness. You walked slowly along the rubble of the cave away from the drop off, feeling along the walls cautiously. You spotted a spot of grey ahead of you and realized that it was the cave entrance, and you sped up slightly towards it. You emerged into the cold air outside the cave and looked at the stars above you. Then you felt foolish because you had no idea where to go from here but your doubt faded when you saw a hooded figure, standing with his back to you, much like Loki had.

"I should kill you." The man, or thing's, deep voice filled the atmosphere.

"Maybe, but you haven't." You sounded more confident then you felt.

"You do not fear me," He turned, revealing his creased, red face. "Because you have felt the touch of death before."

"Thanos." You confirmed to yourself.

"Yet, that is not protection from me, death has no restrictions." His dark eyes were unsettling.

"Kill me if you please." You retorted. "But that would only make your goal harder to attain."

"Of what use is a tainted Midgardian to myself?" He growled.

"Loki offered you Midgard, but I am promising you Asgard."

Thanos seemed intrigued at this. "Loki?"

"Is being held on Midgard, as you probably know," You began, "I am here to pay the debt owed to you."

"For that pathetic demi-god?"

"I believe all debts should be paid." You offered, "So, do you think this Midgardian could pay it?" You held out your hand as your white flames appeared and Thanos almost smiled.

"I could find a use for that." He alluded to your flames and you felt a sinking in your stomach, your fate sealed.

Thanos, not known to be stupid, was cautious about you, he bound your wrists as Loki had once done so that your flames, cyclones, and force fields were restrained. You followed him along the uneven ground of the unfamiliar planet full of caves. The silence was only broken by the cold winds of the dead planet and you were anxious about your plan already. Thanos led you to the edge of a grey cliff and you gasped as you followed his gaze below. There were hundreds of thousands of supernatural soldiers assembled below, and even from the height you could these were more powerful than those that had attacked the Capitol.

"Since our plans have changed," He turned to you, "We cannot attack as soon as we first planned, but two days is not too long to wait for Asgard." He dragged you away from the cliffs edge and into yet another cave, this one somehow darker than the other. He left you blinded by the darkness, guarded and you sat quietly contemplating what to do next. You knew your bounds were a problem, but you could only hope that your message was received by the Avengers.

*Stark Tower*

As Tony stood in silence, he looked at the others; Steve, Thor, Bruce, Clint and Natasha. He strained to process what had just happened, - disappearing into a white light before fading into thin air. There was silent consensus that there was to be no training henceforth and Tony followed the others out the door without a word. They separated at once, going there own ways to process the sudden departure of the odd, white-eyed woman. Tony went where he always went, his garage, where he shut himself in and sat down heavily on his stool. Without warning, a surge of frustration ran through him and he found himself throwing tools and gadgets.

Finally exhausted, Tony sank onto the floor, restraining himself from storming down to the basement and throttling that stupid demi-god Loki. He examined the mess before him and for the first time, damned himself for building that iron suit and damned S.H.I.E.L.D. for existing. He didn't know how long he sat there but his thoughts were only interrupted by the familiar, electronic voice of JARVIS.

"Excuse me, Mr. Stark." The program offered, "But Miss - left a message for you earlier this day, would you like me to play it."

"What?" Tony looked up from the floor. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?! Run it, JARVIS."

Tony lifted himself off the floor and returned to his stool, a holographic monitor appearing in front of him. -'s face appeared at once and Tony was almost taken aback as the pre-recorded message began

_Thank you, JARVIS. _- began_. Okay, um, hey Tony. _She waved._ I hope you're not too angry to listen to what I have to say. You and the others need to get to Asgard as quickly as possible and prepare for battle. I'm bringing Thanos to you. _- winked, and Tony almost smiled as the message ended.

He jumped out of his stool and repented for the curses he had laid against his suit and S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony pulled the door of his garage open and excitedly set off down the hall to find the others and drag them away from their own moping.


	19. Chapter 19

Two days passed in the darkness of the cave, according to Thanos anyways and you were pulled out of your prison by the guards who had kept you there. As your eyes adjusted to the slightly brighter light outside the cave, you braced yourself for what was ahead. Thanos waited for you at the cliff's edge staring out at his army and you approached silently, waiting for acknowledgement. Thanos was shouting orders in another unfamiliar language and you gathered that he was briefing his troops for the attack on Asgard.

Finally he turned to you, his face as grim as before and you held your ground as he came towards you. He towered over you, his hood adding to his bulk and you felt yourself outclassed. From what you read in the files on Tony''s computer, you knew that Thanos was much more powerful than you; that's why you had to wait for the right opportunity. This mutant in front of you was smarter than Tony, stronger than Thor and Bruce, and quicker than Natasha.

"We attack now, Mortal, prepare your white flames." He demanded and you nodded your ascent. "And keep your focus on Asgard; one misstep and I will kill you, slowly and painfully. Death is a friend of mine, Small One."

"We'll see if you feel the same after I burn Asgard to the ground." You were impressed by your own acting.

"We shall." He grabbed your arm roughly, your hands still bound and pulled you to an awaiting ship, flat and metal, with built in weapons you could never have imagined. His army beneath you waited atop their own carriers for Thanos' command. The red-faced creature shouted in his extraterrestrial tongue and the craft below you was suddenly moving, fast. Behind you came the others, thousands, and your anxiety threatened to show itself. You spent the journey silently beside Thanos, who continued giving orders to his commanders and yourself.

Finally, the craft slowed and stopped and before you was a shining golden land, Asgard, and you gasped in astonishment. You knew it was famous for its beauty, but this was something else. The army around you separated into flanks and Thanos ripped off your bounds roughly, giving you one last warning before turning about his own business.

The descent began into Asgard, silently the creatures began their surprise attack in which they were to sneak into Asgard, almost like a Trojan horse. Thanos led his own company and you followed side by side, the guards at the gates quickly dealt with by the superhuman being and his army. You became concerned that your message had not been received. But as you entered the streets of Asgard, you felt something was off, something was missing. You realized at the same time as Thanos; there was no sound or movement within, it seemed as though it had been evacuated.

The silence around you was broken at once as behind you, as one of the carriers awaiting your signal was hit by an explosion and crashed into another beside it. Another explosion erupted on another carrier and you almost gave yourself away with a smile. The chaos only grew from there as you turned to Thanos, alarmingly angry.

"What is this!?" He shouted.

"I don't know." You feigned ignorance. "We need to find a base, we can rout them with my flames."

Thanos looked skeptically down at you before giving a slight nod, once again grabbing you and dragging you inside the nearest building. You emerged on the roof with Thanos, his soldiers setting up defense inside. You looked across the city towards the crashing carriers and you saw a familiar green creature ripping apart Thanos' soldier and a zooming light that could only be Tony. The others were no doubt hidden within the fray.

You looked back to Thanos as he glared at you and you began to build an orb of white flame above you. You shot a few at the nearby buildings in an attempt to prove your loyalty. Thanos seemed to believe this farce and finally you worked on an even bigger orb, as it grew larger than ever you raised it slowly, looking over to Thanos, whose eyes seemed to glimmer. Realizing this was it, you brought the flame in quickly enwrapping Thanos within them and as he cursed, you began to run.

Behind you, Thanos continued to scream and you ran back into the building's interior as soldiers appeared before you. You burned them on the spot, setting the walls alight as you continued rushing through the building. You trailed white flames behind you as you descended stairs and finally emerged onto the street, turning to view the building now collapsing into itself. You contained the fire as well as you could and as it died, with no one left alive, you made to run towards the gates to join your comrades.

You took one step before you were knocked over by a burned shaft of the building you had just destroyed. You flew back and hit another building before falling onto the stone street with impact. Emerging from the ruins was Thanos and you kicked yourself for thinking it could be so easy. You shot more flames at him and he stopped them with his telepathy. You pushed yourself to your feet and sent a force field his way, knocking him back. He recovered just as quickly and was on you before you could do anything more. He threw you against another building, your bones feeling as if they were about to shatter. You stood once more and he slammed your head into the stone of the building.

Your adrenaline surged as your head pounded and you used a force field to push yourself, taking Thanos with you to the ground. He swung at you and you barely dodged it, kicking him back and giving yourself space. As he made for you again, you unsheathed one of your knives and threw it, catching him in the stomach. He winced briefly before continuing his course and you threw another into his shoulder, another into his chest, and another in his leg. This barely slowed him and only fed his anger. You pulled out your gun, hitting him in the other shoulder before he ripped it from your grip and slammed you onto the ground, his hand tight around your throat.

You couldn't move as you breath struggled to come and you felt your wind pipe collapsing. You shot white flames but they quickly sizzled out. You tried a force field and it fell away, and your cyclone did nothing to help. As you struggled once more, you felt your desperation grow and as you were about to let yourself go, Thanos pulled his hand away in shock. As your vision focused and air returned to you, you saw what you had done. Thanos' hand was white as Loki's had been, blackened veins within but this time it wasn't fading. Thanos returned his focus to you as you pushed yourself up and ran in the opposite direction. You ran through the streets and heard Thanos not far behind.

"You cannot run from me mortal." He boomed as you felt him hit you from behind and you both flew into the large fountain ahead of you.

As you struggled under water to separate from him, he pulled your head above the surface and cracked your head against the fountain's middle. You felt blood begin to drip from your forehead, matching the blood already coming from your nose. You stumbled back, Thanos letting you go and you tripped over the edge of the fountain, falling back onto the stone of the street. You built the last of your energy, knowing you couldn't go much longer and looked back at Thanos still in the fountain, gloating. Before he could take one step out of the water, you let go all your energy and the water around him formed a cyclone and he battled to step through it. As he fought, you saw him emerging from behind its walls and you pushed once more. What happened next surprised even you. The cyclone began to freeze, trapping Thanos as he continued to fight. His legs were trapped within the ice forming around his body. First the pool below him and then the ice travelled up his body as you struggled to keep your focus.

"You will pay for this, devious mortal!" Thanos screamed before the ice swallowed his face and all that remained before you was a chunk of ice, Thanos frozen within.

You laid back on the stone, exhausted and shocked at what you had just done. Never had you conjured iced, the flames had always been what came. You breathed heavily, panting on the ground before finally sitting up. Thanos remained frozen in the block of ice as you confirmed that you were truly safe and you wiped away the blood in your face as you stood up. You remembered the battle behind you and you ran towards the sound of destruction.

Along the way, you encountered a few soldiers and easily demolished them with your flames until you reached the gates. Beyond, the battle was dying down and you could see the others fighting the last of the enemy. The carriers were now a wreck of flames and metal and the enemy before you dwindling. You continued to burn Thanos' soldiers, sweeping the last few into a cyclone until the battle was truly over and you stood outside the gates of Asguard, surrounded by death and destruction. You sank onto the ground, the corpses and ruins of Thanos' fleet around you. You sat silently, half aware of where you were and what had just happened. Your daze was only interrupted by the voice of someone familiar.

"-?" You looked up at Nat now walking towards you. "You're alive!" She ran towards you, reaching her hand out to pull you up.

"Nat?" You took her hand and stood.

"Come on." She prodded you, "The others will be glad to see you."

You followed her, your eyes heavy with exhaustion.

"Guys, look who I found!" Nat said, pulling you out of your funk and you processed the scene you had walked into. Tony stood in his scratched and dented armour; Thor in his flowing yet tattered red cape; Bruce still in the form of the other guy though calm; Steve in his torn mask; and Clint with scrapes on his arms.

"Zombie," Tony rang, "You really do come back from the dead."

"Little Midgardian, thank you for protecting my home." Thor boomed.

"Where's Thanos?" Bruce had returned to his normal size as he held up his now stretched shorts.

"He's in a fountain." You said, not fully comprehending.

"Are you alright?" Steve sounded concerned.

"I'll be fine." You felt the blood still seeping from the cut in your head and had no doubt that you were bruised all over. "But we should find Thanos before he thaws."

"Thaws?" Clint echoed.

"It's a long story." You said, waking up from your daze, "I'll tell you later.


	20. Chapter 20

You found Thanos where you had left him and Tony assured you that they could keep him frozen for the rest of time if necessary. They sent the block containing the mutant back with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had come as back up and some extra security fashioned by Bruce and Tony to keep him restrained. Most of the damage occurred outside the city gates and Asgard stood as proud as ever, with one minor blemish to be repaired.

Thor led the rest of you through the streets to his royal abode while the others explained to you how they had managed to evacuate the city and set up their own surprise for Thanos. The palace Thor lived in was amazing and despite your injuries, you were blown away by its beauty. Thor brought you all to a large room where a white-haired man sat a top a throne in the empty hall. You realized that to the king of Asgard, these seven beat up misfits must look ridiculous, well except his son.

"Father, Thanos has been vanquished and Asgard is safe." Thor announced. "And this is the Midgardian who saved our city, -." He directed you forward, "This is my father Odin, King of Asgard."

"Pleased to meet you, your highness." You attempted a bow and a courtly demeanour.

"I am in debt to all of you for the safety of my kingdom," Odin said in his kingly voice. "And you, little White Midgardian, I thank you for your service."

Odin, thanked the others in turn and Thor led you to another room where you all sat and relaxed, recovering from your injuries. Food was brought shortly thereafter and you ate a little bit before finally rearranging your mind back to normal.

"What we do now?" You asked no one in particular.

"We go back to earth." Tony replied, "To our former lives, until the people need us again."

"Oh," You said anxiously as you realized that you had no where to go. You stared at the wall, but relaxed when you realized that there was something waiting for you, or rather someone.


	21. Bruce

BRUCE

Back at Stark Tower you were ready to leave but first you had some final things to go over with Bruce. As you sat in his lab, awaiting the results he had promised you, you looked at yourself in the mirror: Your hair was not completely silver and you were still getting used to it. Not to mention the black eye and gash on your forehead. You had enjoyed your last day with the rest of the team but now you knew it was close to the end, and you looked around the lab nostalgically. You had done all you could to extend your stay but now you had to leave. You faced another ending and hated the idea of having to start all over again.

Bruce returned and you smiled at him, at how comforting the site of him was; his glasses, his uptight demeanour, and that stern silence which told you he was deep in thought. He looked up from the papers in his hand and returned your smile. You could see though, that he felt the same as you; that he was dreading saying goodbye. Goobyes were always hard, but somehow this one seemed harder than anyother.

"So, how does it look, Doc?" You asked, swinging your legs which hung of the edge of the stool.

"It looks great, well I think." He took another look at the paper. "Like I said before, your vitals are much more extreme than the average person. And your hair returned nothing significant, so I think it's safe to say that you're going to live."

"So you're saying the hair is just purely ornamental." You joked.

"It does suit you well." Bruce said, "It brings out your eyes."

You laughed. "Funny, when did you develop a sense of humour, Bruce?"

"Let's just say, you've brought out a lot of good things in me." He said gently.

"And if something else decides to turn silver?" You asked, standing up.

"You can just call me and I'll come running." He stepped towards you. "I'll be there, not just for the research."

"I will." You said, looking into his eyes. "And if the other guy gives you any trouble, I'll be there for you." As you said this, Bruce had gotten a lot closer and before you knew it, he had his arms around you and was passionately kissing you. It was surprisingly hot for the quiet scientist and you let yourself surrender, at home in his arms. As you relaxed, you realized that maybe this wasn't an ending, but the introduction of the next chapter in your life.

By the time the two of you separated, you had knocked over half of the gadgets on Bruce's lab table. You laughed as you saw what a mess Bruce's hair had become and couldn't help yourself from kissing him again.

You were relieved to not have to leave Stark Tower alone, you and Bruce walked out hand in hand after the others teased the two of you. You had no idea where to go or what do at first, but both of you were confident that as long as you were together, everything else would be just fine. You decided to go somewhere remote, to keep the world safe from the other guy and to build a home of your own. A hut on a sandy, overgrown beach seemed more welcome than anywhere you had lived before.

Of course, your relationship with Bruce wasn't easy, what with the other guy making unexpected visits and the world needing your help more than once. But as you sat in Bruce's small lab and he talked about things you didn't understand, you couldn't help but thank whatever universal force had brought the two of you together. A year ago, you could never have imagined you'd be sitting blissfully with the man you love in the middle of nowhere with nothing left to worry about.


	22. Loki

LOKI

You don't know what had possessed you to stay in Asguard but you had had this nagging feeling that there something still left undone. You had been so close to leaving with the others but had pulled away from Natasha as you sense something behind Thor's half-sincere smile: Loki. At first, you had tried to shrug it off, there was nothing you could do to fix their relationship. Yet, you had stayed with almost no explanation to the others and finally, after a few days of trying to talk yourself out of it, you were one door away from a likely futile gesture.

Two Asguardian guards bowed as the solid door opened and you stepped into Loki's new cell, reinforced since his escape. He look dishevelled compared to his usual demeanour, and he sat half-slumped against his cell wall. Like before, a secure transparent wall stood between the two of you and you approached the clear and flawless impenetrable glass, the slight reflection of your silver hair flashing before you.

"Has my brother sent you?" He said in his always confident voice, "I must say, it is a rather desperate tactic."

"No, to the contrary." You thought back to Thor warning you not to further antagonize or demean the caged Loki. "To be honest, I don't know why I am here." Loki gave you an almost confused look as he seemed to straighten his posture and you felt a tinge of compassion, something which you had never associated with this arrogant demi-god. "Excuse me a moment." You turned quickly on your heel, leaving back out the door you had entered.

You returned with the hesitant guards Thor had told to obey your every command or face his thunderous wrath. The blonde one unlocked the access point and soon enough you were on the other side of the glass as the guards left you and you almost regretted your spontaneous decision.

"What is this?" Loki was standing now and you resisted the urge to press yourself to the glass in an attempt to dissolve through it.

"I—um," You hesitated trying to clear your thoughts. "I am not here to tell you once more how lucky you are to have a family who wants you or a home that could have been." You looked up at him as he stepped closer, his eyebrow raised in question. "I just want to know why? Not why you attacked Earth, but why you changed so much?"

"I have not changed." He said shortly, but seemingly softened as he noticed your face harden. "Look, what I have done cannot be undone and I must face the consequences."

"If you did not change, then what did?" You prodded.

"My family, my home." He almost seemed sad, "Once the truth is known, it cannot be untold. After my true lineage was revealed, it could not be rescinded and I could never believe this to be my true home, or that golden boy Thunder god to be my brother. I only wanted to be my own person, not his little brother, or the child Odin had stolen." He stopped himself, "Now I stand explaining myself to a tainted mortal."

"Tainted mortal?" You scoffed, "Well then, I should be-" You turned to summon the guards.

"Wait!" He was in front of you and you collided with his torso. "I apologize... I am not displeased with your presence."

"Oh.." You said.

"No, I- owe you an apology."

"For trying to ransom me to Thanos."

"For everything," He looked down at you, something behind his green eyes moved, seemingly less clouded than the last time you had stared into them. "You do not deserve it, even if you are an Avenger."

"Wow, this is hard to believe." You said taken aback.

"I am not so shallow as to think an apology enough," He seemed almost regretful, "You will no doubt leave here, sceptic of my motivations, but my only wish is that you hear what I have to say."

"Of course," You replied, almost confused, maybe this is what had pulled you here.

"I would not attest to any powerful emotion or destiny," He took your hand gently, surprising you and you were further confounded. "I can only admire your glowing eyes which betray the strength within."

"Um," You almost blushed but felt a sincerity within his voice.

"I have said too much, -." He let go of your hand and turned.

"Loki," You managed to get out, "The past cannot be so easily atoned, but I know something brought me here." He turned slightly, almost hopeful. "I want to believe you, but-"

Before you could continue, he had turn back to you completely and had stopped you mid sentence by wrapping you in his arms and pulling you into a kiss. It was so full of passion that you almost forgot the lingering distrust yet felt something else telling you to surrender. You pulled apart, both in shock yet recognizing that something was there, something powerful.

After your first visit to Loki in Asguard, you had been unsure of what to do and tried to avoid returning to the demi-god's presence. You thought that maybe he had played some sort of mind-trick on you but one day you had decided to return, when you found yourself still unable to leave Asguard. You talked, this time longer than before, still unsure of each other and you made sure to avoid any kissing in order to assess what was actually going on. You visited once more before Loki's subsequent trial, still trying not to let your veneer crumble. But as you watched him tried before Asguard, you sympathized with his fallen state and as he was sentenced to exile, you hid your disappointment. Loki deserved to be punished, exile was fitting, but he didn't deserve to be alone.

Eventually, months after he had be ousted from Asguard, you had convinced Odin and Thor to let you go to Loki. Reluctantly they granted you permission and you found yourself reconnected with the last person you expected to ever find solace with. On the distant grey planet to which he had been sent, you found Loki guarded as ever before but with more freedom. To your surprise, it hadn't been an act and he was glad to see you, even awe-struck when you told him about your pleading with Asguard. You stayed on that planet with the eccentric god as you both let your walls down and discovered a sense of belonging. Loki still plotted and you still fought alongside the Avengers, causing tension between the two of you from time to time. Your relationship was far from perfect or harmonious, but it was more than either of you ever expected.


	23. Steve

STEVE

Back on earth, you recovered from the damages of battle before forcing yourself to pack you bags and say good bye to your room in Stark Towers. You were going to miss living in that amazing building with the Avengers, but hopefully you wouldn't have to return to soon because that would mean that the earth needed saving again. You grabbed your duffel, a little bit fuller than it was upon your arrival and took one last look at the room. You had already said most of your good-byes; Thor had said farewell back in Asguard, Natasha and Clint had left almost immediately on your return to earth to report to Fury. Only Tony, Steve and Bruce had stuck around, Bruce was staying for while seeing as he and Tony got along pretty well, mostly because of their shared interest in things you could never understand. And Steve had just happened to stay a little longer, having suffered a few bumps in the battle and not required to report back like Nat and Clint.

You finally pulled open your door and made your way down the hall to the living room where you knew the guys were waiting, knowing you were leaving. Tony had offered to keep you but you didn't feel right staying there; it was only a temporary home. You finally reached the room of full-length windows and almost turned around but the others had already saw you.

"Hey..." You said, trying to hide your sadness.

"Hey, Zombie." Tony sang back, more chipper than the others.

You didn't know how to start, "So..."

"You're leaving." Bruce offered.

"Yeah," You looked at the floor, "Thanks, I, um, I'm gonna miss you guys."

"Aw, we'll miss you too, of course." Tony said, putting his arm around your shoulders.

"Thanks," You smiled up at him. "You guys have no idea how much this has meant to me."

"Believe it or not, but you did just as much for us." Steve said and you looked at him for the first time, he seemed sad himself.

"I'm just gonna rip the band-aid off," You asserted, "We've done this before but this time it's not forever." You gripped your duffel tighter. "I guess this is good-bye." You hugged Bruce and Tony one last time and finally Steve, who stopped you after.

"Wait," He said, and you finally noticed he was wearing his leather jacket and had a bag of his own beside him. "I'll walk with you, I'm leaving too."

"Oh, well, you should have said something earlier, Steve." You nudged him playfully.

You waited for Steve to say his own good-byes and you descended silently in the elevator together. As you walked into the lobby, you stopped him, nervous about stepping outside into what you considered "the real world".

"Steve," Your anxiety was building, "Where are you going now?"

"I don't know," He said back, trying to hide his emotion. "I'll find somewhere...eventually."

"Yeah," You let your own worry show, "I don't know where I'm going either." You realized that he was in the same predicament as you. As you both stood their, reluctant to leave he finally broke the silence.

"-," He sounded more nervous than before, "I'm not sure where exactly I belong in this new world, but I could use someone to help me find my way."

You looked up at him and saw something in his eyes you had longed to see for a long time: acceptance, affection, even love. "Steve," You said, almost breathless as you realized what he was saying, "I- We will find a home, together. I promise."

"You mean, we-" He stuttered and you cut him off with a kiss before he could finish. The kiss he gave you was warm and you felt your whole body relax as his hand began to stroke your now completely silver hair. After what could have been a whole hour, you pulled apart and you struggled not to giggle at the blush in Steve's cheeks. "Come on, let's go find a home...if not, let's head to the costume shop."

Your relationship with Steve was just as awkward as it had always been but that was part of what made it work. As you introduced him to modern culture, like rock and roll, Facebook, and Patch Adams, you both grew closer as you no longer felt entirely lost. You and Steve worked with the Avengers a few more time when needed, and the others seemed unsurprised at the bond you had formed together. You weren't the perfect couple, but you were just what each other needed.


	24. Thor

THOR

As the others pushed themselves out of their seats, you did the same feeling the damage of battle sinking into your bones. It was time to return to earth, yet something inside you told you that there was nothing to go back to on earth. Thor led your small parade back through the city streets so that you could return via the rainbow road, apparently easier than your own white light. Finally, you were at the portal between Asguard and your own world and as the others waited eagerly to go, you hesitated as they said their goodbyes to Thor.

"You have a lovely home, Thor." You forced out as it was your turn to say goodbye. "I hope you can get through to Loki."

"I share the same hope, Lady -," He said in his Asguardian way, "But..." He looked over to the others who waited, now concerned with their own discussions of going home. "Have you found your home, little Midguardian?" It sounded almost philosophical.

"No, but I'm sure I will if I look hard enough." You almost sighed, knowing that returning to earth meant being lost once more.

"Perhaps you have already found your home," You looked up into his eyes, his stare was focused solely on you. "Stay here and build a home with me."

You were overwhelmed by this sudden possibility, you had never even imagined staying in such a magnificent city, let alone another planet. You looked at the others one last time before turning back to Thor. At that moment, all your thoughts cleared and you realized that Thor was right. You didn't want to go searching for something that was already there right in front of you.

"But, you're a Prince of Asguard, shouldn't you be with a princess or something?" You had no idea what the customs here were and all at once found yourself intimidated by what you could possibly be getting yourself into.

"I do not want a princess," His hand rested on your shoulder as his red cape blew in the wind, "And my parents would want me to be with someone who makes me happy."

"I—I don't even know what to say," You knew you wanted it, "Of course, I'll stay."

Your lips met his and a shot of electricity seemed to travel through your body. Thor lifted you up as you entwined yourself with him and wished for this moment to never end. Finally you pulled apart and seeing the others gaping at the two of you, Thor put you down as you tried not to blush.

"I guess that means you're staying." Tony said.

"Not forever, I'll come visit." You assured them before saying goodbye to them once more, this time for a much better reason.

Asguard always blew you away every time you looked upon the streets and the impressive architecture. You returned with Thor to face his father once more and meet his mother, both of whom seemed unsure yet happy for Thor. For a time, you spent your time comforting Thor who struggled to reconcile with Loki who was back in his Asguardian prison. You knew that Thor would never get back what he had before with Loki, much like you and your mother, but you found solace in each other. You returned to earth occasionally to see the others and fight some crime, you and Thor fighting side by side. And when Thor ascended the throne, you did what you had to do and sat beside him as he ruled Asguard.


	25. Tony

TONY

You sat in your room back at Stark Tower packing your small duffel bag as you prepared to leave those familiar walls for good. You ran your hand through your now completely silver hair and zipped up your bag reluctantly. Your stomach flipped as you looked around one final time before you would force yourself to leave your temporary home. As you were about to rise from your seat on your bed, there was a knock on the door which nearly made you jump.

"Come in." You said, still sitting on the bed.

"I see you're just about ready to leave, Zombie." Tony said as he crossed the room and sat beside you.

"Just about." You looked once more around the room. "I just can't believe how much everything has changed. I mean, I have no idea where to go from here."

"Believe it or not," Tony said as he put his arm playfully around your shoulder, "You've changed me, too, Zombie."

"Oh, really?" You looked at him questioningly, "Tony Stark, the eccentric playboy, billionaire, philanthropist, has changed so much." You said sarcastically.

"Well, maybe not that much." He agreed, "But enough to realize that... you shouldn't leave yet."

"What?!" You were caught off guard.

"I know that I seem like I am all about myself, but I realized when you left to find Thanos, that I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"Wait...I thought that Pepper and you were..."

"We were." He conceded. "But that ended a while ago, before you even showed up. Pepper and I have always had our differences and we though that our relationship would work not despite them, but because of them. After Loki's attack on New York however, Pepper gave me an ultimatum, to give up the suit, but it's not just a suit."

"And if I didn't want you to wear the suit?" You asked, testing him.

"I know you don't want that." He stated. "You know that the suit is as much a part of me as your silver hair is a part of you. Plus you know it looks great on me."

You laughed at his last little joke. "Are you saying you like the silver hair, then?"

"Well, it means you can't complain about my own greys." He once again fell into his old charming tone. "Besides, it gives you character."

"I didn't realize I needed 'character'." You teased back.

"The only thing you need," He said, turning you to him, "Is me." His lips met your own, gentle yet firm and found yourself wrapping your arms around him. He laid back on the bed, pulling you on top of him. You heard your bag fall of the edge of the bed, but didn't care, immersed in Tony's affection. As you and Tony melted into one you were relieved to have found a home. Maybe not forever, but for the time, it was perfect.

You stayed at Stark Tower at Tony's behest and realized that you had found your home the day you had nervously entered the lobby with your pathetic duffel bag. Tony agreed to keep the relationship under covers until you became more serious although the others knew and didn't hide it. It also didn't hurt that Tony let you wear the suit every once in a while. The Avengers reunited a few times when they were needed and you and Tony never shied away from a good fight, even with each other. You thanked the world for your tumultuous relationship with this arrogant man every time you saw his trademark smirk cross his face.


End file.
